Ladybug Life Cycle

Earlier, I blogged about the grape flea beetle and showed part of it's life cycle. It is also important to know the life cycle of beneficial insects in the vineyard. We were able to get photos of ladybugs in their various incarnations. I was unsure of the larval stage because most of the photos that I saw online were larval stages colored orange and black and not a completely black larva, but Joan Allen of the UConn Extension verified that these were indeed ladybug larva.

The ladybug belong to the order Coleoptera and the Family Coccinellidae. The fact that the ladybug goes from egg-->larva-->pupa-->adult means that it goes through complete metamorphorsis. Ladybug adults as well as the larval form feed on aphids and other soft bodied insects.
In the photo above, it seems as if the larva are eating the egg cases that they came out of. I did find a reference that mentioned that there is some evidence that ladybugs lay infertile eggs along with fertile ones, in order to provide a food source for hatching larvae. When the natural food supply is limited, the ladybug lays a higher percentage of infertile eggs.¹
An interesting factoid about the ladybug adult pictured above, also extracted from reference 1: Coccinellids became known as ladybirds during the Middle Ages. The term "lady" references the Virgin Mary, who was often depicted in a red cloak. The 7-spot ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) is said to represent the Virgin's seven joys and seven sorrows.
Reference:
1. Debbie Hadley, Ladybugs - Family Coccinellidae.