Ladybug Pupa: Different Stages Of Life Cycle Explained

Do you know what a ladybug pupa looks like and what its life cycle is?

The pupal stage is known to be the time transition for a ladybug. It looks like a whole lot of waiting.

The process of the pupal stage lasts a week or so until then the compact little mass makes its way out of the pupal skin. There are different stages of ladybug pupa that you should know. There are adult ladybugs, lady bettes, and different stages of ladybug pupa according to the different species. The ladybug life cycle includes various stages that include laying eggs, the larvae stage, the pupal stage, and many others. Most of you can recognize lady beetles, or ladybugs and then welcome them into their gardens. The ladybug larvae resemble tiny black alligators and crawl around your plants.

There are different names for ladybugs, they are also known by the name of beetles, ladybird beetles, and many others. The ladybugs then turn into an adult which includes a four-stage cycle which is called the process of metamorphosis. The ladybug can eat 400 aphids in the three weeks before it pupates. They will also prey on a soft scale which includes whitefly pupa, thrips, and spider mites if there are no aphids available.

After you have read about the lifecycle of the ladybird species across the world after larvae emerge, also check facts on how many legs does a ladybug have and ladybug lifespan. 

Ladybug Life Cycle

There are a total of four stages that are included in the ladybug life cycle that you need to know. The stages are laying eggs, the next stage is the larval stage, the third stage is the pupal stage, and the final stage is the imaginal stage i.e. adult beetles. Given below is the life cycle of ladybug :

Eggs: The life cycle of a ladybug begins with an egg. After the female has finished mating, the ladybug then lays eggs in clusters of 5-30. The ladybug is known to produce more than 500 eggs in its lifespan. According to research carried out by a scientist, it was observed that there are two types of eggs that the female ladybug produces i.e. both fertile and infertile eggs.

Larvae: Once the eggs are laid, the larvae of the ladybug then emerge from their eggs.

The ladybug larvae have the appearance of a tiny alligator that has elongated bodies. The larvae of the ladybug are black in color and have brightly colored spots or bands. One larva can eat up to 350-400 aphids. The ladybug larvae can eat ladybug eggs too. The molt of the ladybug larva takes place through four instars or larval stages.

Pupal stage (Pupae): The color of the ladybug is either yellow or orange and also has black spots in the pupal stage. After this larva stage, the pupa then remains the same on the leaf till the complete process is completed. There is a biochemical process in which the body of the larval is then broken down and formed into a ladybug. The time gap for the pupal stage is 7-15 days.

Adult Beetles: The adults that are newly emerged are vulnerable to predators till the time their cuticles are hardened. The color of the adult ladybug is pale or yellow until the time that they develop.  Once they emerge, they start developing deep and bright colors which is the main attraction of a ladybug. The mating season of the ladybugs is after the spring.

Stages Of A Ladybug Life Cycle

Ladybugs are a type of beetle and not all ladybugs are females. A female ladybug lays more than 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. The ladybugs are known to have special organs in their feet to help them smell.

They lay eggs in clusters of yellow color under a leaf or a stem. The life cycle of a ladybug is known to be four-eight weeks. When the ladybugs turn into adults they live for one year and eat up to 5,000 aphids in their lifetime. Ladybugs usually stay as larvae for three-four weeks. Let us look at the stages of a ladybug life cycle:

Eggs: The ladybugs start as little eggs that are orange or yellow in color and are oval-shaped. The egg-laying takes place in the spring or early summer when the ladybugs disperse in the search of prey. The hatching of the eggs depends on a variety of conditions, but it usually takes a week and sometimes only a few days. The ladybug larvae then hatch from the eggs. The eggs usually roam around in search of prey. The ladybug eggs take 3-10 days to hatch.

Larva: The ladybug larvae look like a tiny black alligator with spines and spots. The larvae can move around and many of them move away from the prey that the other ladybugs feed on. During the larva stage, the ladybugs molt four times. And after this, they enter the next stage of the pupa.

Pupae: The pre-pupa kicks off the pupal stage for a ladybug. When the larvae are ready to move to the next stage of their ladybug lives, their motion stops and so does their feeding. After this stage, the larva curls up slightly and some of the larval skin may still be hanging around. The pupa then changes its color which is sometimes darker or more orange.

Adult: A new ladybug adult is soft-winged and lighter in color than it will be in its final form. Once the pupal skin is put aside, it takes a couple of days for those vibrant wing covers to take a final form. The ladybug can fly while displaying its new wings to the world. The aphids, mealybugs, insect eggs, and pollen form the diet of a ladybug. The entire process takes up to four-five weeks.

Ladybug Pupa Facts

The ladybugs are colorful for a reason. Their bright markings are a warning sign to their predators.

The ladybugs are harmless to humans and they are farmers’ favorite insects because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. The shape of the ladybugs is mostly oval or dome-shaped and they have six legs. The ladybugs that are red or orange and have spots on each side are known as seven-spotted ladybugs. The ladybug's main predators are birds but these scale insects are known to get confused with frogs, wasps, and also dragonflies. The ladybugs lay eggs according to the temperature.

The place where ladybugs lay their eggs depends on the temperature. Mostly they will lay their eggs in places such as the underside of a leaf, in the plant, and any place where there are aphids. Once the larva reaches its full size, they keep themselves attached to a leaf with the help of their tail.

What does a ladybug pupa look like?

When the ladybug is in the pupal stage, it is usually yellow or orange with black markings.

Throughout this stage, the pupa remains still when it is attached to a leaf. The color then changes when the ladybug pupa turns into a complete adult.

Once the female lays her eggs, the eggs will then hatch in between three-ten days. The larva will then live and grow for about a month before it enters the pupa stage which lasts for about 15 days. After the pupal stage, the adult ladybug will live up to one year.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ladybug pupa then why not take a look at ladybug colors, or ladybug facts.