Beginning to see a lot of ladybug larva in the Verde Valley right now. Everybody is familiar with the adult version of this bug but not many know what the babies look like. Ladybugs feed on aphids and other garden pests. One common misconception about the ladybug is that as it ages it gets more spots, when in fact they are born with the number of spots they will have. There are about 500 different species of ladybugs in the United States. Ladybugs received their name from catholic farmers, the farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help with the crop-destroying insects. A few days later, the lady bug showed up. The farmers named the beetles “the Beetles of our lady” and they later became known as ladybugs.
