It turns out that scary looking bug I've been killing

[jerome1232]

Was ladybug larvae, boy do they look scary. Who knew it was a good guy? I was sure it was going to eat my zucchini plant all up.

[Guest]

Ew! I've never seen one before!

[NeuroTypical]

"Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home.

Your house is on fire, and your children are dating a cute boy."

- Traditional nursery rhyme, slightly modernized by my kid #2

[EarlJibbs]

Wierd! I just looked it up.

[Jamie123]

The "Lady" in ladybird (or ladybug in the US) originally referred to Freyja the Norse fertility goddess, who after Christianization was replaced by the Virgin Mary. (Which is ironic: if you've ever read the Norse myths you'll know Freyja was everything but a virgin!) Hence the modern German Marienkäfer = Mary's Beetle. In Irish it is called bóín Dé = "God's Little Cow". The Polish and Russian names for it have the same translation.

This, and much more useless information is brought to you entirely free of charge by a lazy teacher sitting at his desk, trying to delay the inevitable moment when he'll have to start grading exam papers.

Edited June 5, 2013 by Jamie123

[Jamie123]

Another piece of useless information: The ladybug is not actually a "bug" anyway, as it has larval and pupal stages. It belongs to the order coleoptera, along with all other beetles. "True" bugs belong to the order hermiptera and are characterized by having no complete metamorphosis between the egg and the adult. The young bug or "nymph" differs from the final adult form mainly by its lack of wings.

Isn't pedantry fun?

[Magen_Avot]

Lady bugs will swarm to a specific location in the thousands. I've seen this twice and scooped up a double handful just once when I learned,... they bite!