As fall approaches, it may eat some pollen which supplies fat for winter hibernation. Ladybugs have hard shells that protect their wings and deter predators from eating them. Ladybugs also play dead when in danger because many predators won t eat an insect that doesn t move. Most people know this insect by its nickname, the ladybug. Entomologists refer to it by the technical name, ladybird beetle.
Ladybugs help gardeners and farmers by consuming huge numbers of plant-eating insects.
During the winter, ladybugs may be found hibernating in protected hiding places such as tree stumps, cracks in wood or ground-covering vegetation. They hibernate in groups of 50 -100 to produce and conserve warmth.