Seven-spot Ladybird
Coccinella septempunctata
Least ConcernFast Facts
About
The seven-spot ladybird is the most familiar ladybird across Europe, its glossy red wing-cases marked with seven black spots. A firm favourite of gardeners, it is a voracious predator of aphids and a valuable form of natural pest control.
Its bright colouration is a warning to predators that it is unpalatable, backed up by a bitter, foul-smelling fluid it can release when threatened.
Behaviour
Both adults and their alligator-like larvae feast on aphids, a single ladybird devouring thousands over its lifetime. In autumn, adults seek sheltered crevices, often in sizeable groups, to hibernate through the winter.
When alarmed, a ladybird exudes a droplet of acrid yellow fluid from its leg joints in a defence known as 'reflex bleeding'.
Did you know?
- A single ladybird may eat several thousand aphids in its lifetime
- When threatened it releases a bitter yellow fluid from its leg joints
- Ladybirds often cluster together in large groups to hibernate over winter
- Their bold red-and-black colours warn predators that they taste unpleasant
Distribution
Native across Europe and Asia; introduced to North America
