Adalia bipunctata, 2-Spot Ladybird

Common Name: 2-Spot Ladybird

Adalia bipunctata, more commonly known as the 2-spot Ladybird, is a carnivorous beetle of the family Coccinellidae that is found throughout the UK. The most familiar form of the 2-spot ladybird beetle is the red one with the two black spots. However, there also exists a black form with red spots on it.

The 2-spotted Ladyird's life cycle starts with eggs that are usually laid in clutches. The larvae look very different from the adults: they have elongated, grey, soft bodies with six legs but no wings. They are cannibalistic and go through four larval stages: by eating they grow and at some point they shed their old skin and appear in a new one.

The last larval stage is approximately the size of an adult beetle. Once it has eaten enough, the larvae attach themselves to a substrate and moult into a pupa. Inside the pupa, the adult develops. Finally the adult emerges from the pupa.

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