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Ladybug Spots and Breeding

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Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Very Long (1+ months)
Material Availability
Ladybugs can be collected from the wild, or purchased from a local nursery or an online vendor such as Carolina Biological Supply Company.
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

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Abstract

Ladybugs are common insects in North American gardens that prey upon aphids, making them all the rage in biological pest control. Ladybugs can be bred in captivity making them a good insect to study. Just chop off an aphid infested plant stem for food, make a water soaked cotton ball for water, and add to a small plastic container with a lid to make a breeding box. You can use ladybugs collected from the wild, or buy ladybugs from your local nursery. The most common species is the 12-spotted ladybug, but there are also the seven-spotted European ladybug common in Europe and the nine-spotted ladybug common in Southeastern US. Recently, the Asian ladybird beetle has been introduced as an invasive species and competes with native Some species have a constant number of spots, while others have a variable number of spots in the population. You can breed ladybugs to find out if spot number is a heritable trait. You can also investigate the generation time and reproductive biology of ladybugs.
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Global Connections

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

This project explores topics key to Life on Land: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.

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MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Ladybug Spots and Breeding." Science Buddies, 28 July 2017, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Zoo_p036/zoology/ladybug-spots-and-breeding. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). Ladybug Spots and Breeding. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Zoo_p036/zoology/ladybug-spots-and-breeding


Last edit date: 2017-07-28
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