Common Spotted Ladybirds mating

The Common Spotted Ladybird Beetles are medium in size. They are beautifully bright orange in colour with 23 black dots on its wing-covers. We found them easily in our backyards in early summer, they feed on the aphids on our hibiscus plants. They are common in Brisbane.

Both ladybird adults and larvae are predators. They feed on very small insects such as aphids, scale insects and mite. Both adults and larvae can be found on the same plants feeding on preys. They also consume flower nectar and water, sometimes they feed on honeydew from aphids as supplement.

A fully grown larva consumes about 50 aphids per day. An adult female eats more than 100 aphids before she is ready to lay eggs. A ladybird will consume at least 2400 aphids during her life-span, about one to two months.