The ladybug’s life cycle starts as an egg. The eggs are so tiny they look like colorful specks in small clusters on plant stems and on the underside of leaves. With some species of ladybugs, females can lay over 1,000 eggs in a three-month period during spring and early summer. After laying the eggs, the larvae take approximately two to ten days to...

The growing and changing stage is the second stage of the ladybug life cycle. The small spiny black larvae emerge from eggs during this second stage of their life cycle. The bug larvae are covered in tiny bristles, giving them a menacing appearance. The larvae grow from 0.05” (1 mm) after hatching to 0.40” (10 mm) before pupation. Ladybug larvae ar...

The ladybug pupal stage is when metamorphosis occurs. During this stage, the larvae form a protective shell around themselves and undergo a transformation that will eventually turn them into adult ladybugs. The small colorful pupae measure between 0.19” to 0.31” (5 – 8 mm) long. Unlike caterpillars, ladybug larvae don’t form a cocoon. Instead, they...