PREDATORS. 



273 



FIG. 330. 

 Six-spotted Lady-bird Beetle. 



of all naturalists. They are distinctly beneficial and aid in the checking 



of insects throughout the year. 



Lastly, we have the "predators," a vast number of insects 

 which live by capturing and devouring 

 other insects. These are really of two 

 kinds, those which we find specially attack- 

 ing particular classes of insects, and those 

 which catch and devour all that they are 

 able to. 



Of the first, there are many which are 

 found attacking plant-lice, mealy bugs and 

 scale insects and those should be familiar to 

 every one. 



The Lady-bird Beetles are small rounded 

 beetles, about the shape of a split pea, 

 coloured in red, yellow and black as a rule. 

 The life-history in all is the same, and we 



may describe that of the commonest beetle in India, the Six-spotted 



Lady -bird Beetle. 1 



The female beetle deposits her eggs on plants where there are 



colonies of green-fly (apJiis) or other food for the young. The eggs 



are yellow, almost cigar-shaped, about one-twentieth of an inch long, 



laid in little clusters of 10 to 20 eggs. In four or five days the 



eggs hatch, a tiny dark-coloured grub coming out. The grub has 



three pairs of legs, a body set with spines and tapering to the hind 



end, and is nearly black. It runs about, 



feeding upon other aphides and it is very 



voracious; it rapidly grows larger. Yellow 



and white spots appear on it after some 



days and it is then more easily recog- 

 nised. The grub does not grow to a 



length of more than about one-quarter of 



an inch, living for about ten days. It 



then fixes itself head down by the tail, 



and the skin is shed, exposing the pupa. 



The pupa is round, hanging from the 



plant, of a dark-red or orange colour 



with black spots. Great numbers of these 



may be found on the plants when aphides 



are abundant, and they are very easily seen on the leaves. 



1 64. Ckilomenesisexmaculata F f (Coccinejlidee.) 





FIG. 331. 

 Seven-spotted Lady -bird Beetle. 



