Evening star., 1949-02-23
This. and That
By Charles Z. Trace,peu

Lear SIT.
Have been \ daily reader of your column
for many years and hope you will give me
some information about my most unusual
pet. which Is q certain little ladybug. !
learned from you that they should never be
destroyed as they eat harmful aphids, etc.
Several weeks ago I first observed the
small. black-dotted brOwnish lady on two
different dates. and since I have some sui
tanas growing In water on the window sill
I have felt she might assist in the removal
of the aphids have seen at times.
Some weeks passed and I had forgotten
lady bug, when 1 was suddenly surprised by
her falling in the sink as raised the shade
one morning. put her on q plant, where
she stayed all day. Her next appearance
some days later was when discovered her
crawling on my neck, and again she was
placed on a plant. She left the next day
and suddenly reappeared about 10 days later.
remaining only short time.
.+.+
II felt she had gone but IL days later she
showed up on the plants to stay ~ hours.
After an absence of about a day, found
her on her back in q bit Of water fighting
for her life.
Since rescuing her some 30 hours ago.
she has spent her time on the plants and
window and is still in view.
her through q magnifylng glass. My plants
look better since her return. Where did she
60 during her absence?
Sincerely, H. M. NJ"
Insects make excellent pets, in a sense.
Stray spiders. ladybugs, even flies, take on
added interest when they are sole specimens
in limited area.
For instance we know one man who spent
hours watching a milkwhite spider that
took up residence one winter on his pho
nograph lid.
The creature spun himself q web. and
would run when the lid was lifted, but
shortly came back.
Another such spider dropped himself down
on O thread whenever q lamp was lit.
A downtown Office worker had a pet fly,
which he fed on his desk for many weeks.
He was very proud of the fly, grown fat on
peppermint drops.
Then one day an associate "swatted" it,
and that was that.
Our friend. Templeton Jones' once watched
a ladybug on the pane of bus window, and
then lady suddenly souashed it.
That is life.
The ladybug, or ladybird as it sometimes
is called, is little beetle, famed for its
insects.
Surely it should never be harmed being
of great help to man, and very clean insect.
It is round or oval. smooth and glossy.
It is reddish brown or yellow with
black spots, or black with yellow or reddish
brown spots.
The spots are supposed to be warning
signals much as red light. to other crea-
lures, notably birds. to let them alone.
Somehow the birds ale supposed to realize
that this means the ladybugs, are not good
to eat.
Both the adult beetles and the larval forms
eat hundreds of plant lice. or aphids, and
scale insects.
Since both of these infest house plants, q
ladybug or two indoors Is helpful.
They do not go: anywhere, In particular
just hibernate. They are so small. and SO
camoufaged by nature, If they get on \
tapestry, or rug or even on the upper edge
of window let us say. they will not be seen.
The common ladybug Of these parts is
Adala Bipunctata. or two-spotted ladybug.
reddish-yellow with black spot on each
wing. 1t often comes into houses to hiber-
nate. That, Of course. was what 1t was doing
when our correspondent did not see 1t for
long periods.