Watch Ladybugs Go From Goth to Glam | Deep Look

Ladybugs may be the cutest insects around, but they don't start off that way. Also called lady beetles or ladybirds, they pop out of their eggs as prickly mini-monsters with an insatiable hunger for aphids. Once they've bulked up, they transform, shedding their terrifying looks, but keeping their killer vibes.
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DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.
---
The ladybug is the most beloved insect in the world. With their round candy-apple red body and polka-dot markings, the ladybug is a symbol of springtime and a welcome ally in the garden.
After mating, a single female ladybug will lay dozens of bright golden-yellow eggs right next to her offspring’s future prey.
Four to eight days later, the eggs hatch and the spiky little larvae crawl free. They look like miniature alligators, and they have the temperament to match.
Ladybugs are aphid-eating machines, devouring dozens of the sap-sucking insects in a single day.
--- Do ladybugs bite people?
Ladybugs are capable of biting people using their jaw-like mandibles, but they tend not to. If a ladybug feels threatened, it will typically “bleed” a foul-smelling liquid called hemolymph as a deterrent.
--- Should I buy ladybugs from the store for my garden?
It’s better to welcome wild ladybugs into your garden rather than purchase them. One reason is that the ladybugs available at garden centers are typically taken from their natural habitat while they are hibernating during winter months, which means fewer ladybugs in the wild. Plus, ladybugs sold in stores are typically eager to migrate and don’t stay long in your garden.
--- Why do ladybugs have spots?
Many ladybugs have bright, contrasting colors to warn potential predators that they taste terrible. This is known as aposematic coloration. Ladybugs’ hemolymph “blood” contains a cocktail of toxic chemicals including alkaloids. Predators quickly learn that a ladybug’s conspicuous coloration means they aren’t good to eat.
---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science:
www.kqed.org/science/1984438/...
---+ For more information:
Ladybugs are Good for Your Garden, The Real Dirt Blog, written by UC Master Gardeners of Butte County
ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/post...
---+ More Great Deep Look episodes:
The Ladybug Love-In: A Valentine's Special | Deep Look
• The Ladybug Love-In: A...
Born Pregnant: Aphids Invade with an Onslaught of Clones | Deep Look
• Born Pregnant: Aphids ...
Citrus Psyllids Bribe Ants With Strings Of Candy Poop | Deep Look
• Citrus Psyllids Bribe ...
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#ladybug #insects #deeplook

[@highcotton63664]

This was so cool, I never knew ladybugs pupated or what they looked like as youngsters. I love watching Deep Look, keep them coming!

[@YRO.]

They look like a bunch of aliens

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Will do! Once you know what they look like, you find them everywhere! Around here, we see them frequently on fennel plants.

[@Pow3llMorgan]

I found out recently by using google lens on this bug I found. Turned out to be exactly this!

[@CatMowpurr]

All beetles have 4 life stages. I recently learned that fleas (which are related to scorpion flies) have larvae and pupae too.

[@jasonplatco7881]

All beetles have a larval stage. As do many other insects.

[@GuagoFruit]

I love the dramatic pause before a ladybug takes flight. Really gives you a moment to appreciate its flight form.

[@edntz]

Almost all animals can't even walk at first try, let alone fly. Yet they bust out their wings and go mach 1 instantly.

[@XuWinnie-wy7fl]

When I let a ladybug crawl on me, the moment it takes flight always scares me shitless

[@Rice_enjoyer999]

@@XuWinnie-wy7fl same

[@goodolbreadguy5038]

@@XuWinnie-wy7flsame

[@reionj8816]

I am really glad they feed on aphids, true allies indeed. Amazing creatures, how they are able to fly vast distances, I didn't even know they were carnivores.

[@blackcitadel37]

When your favorite food's best defense mechanism is to make more of itself.

[@NurAmira-qz6oh]

Yea! This is called, the bug theory pyramid ( hunter vs predator ) And, mostly their top of the Pyramid food Chain's are Poisonous frog!

[@stunfunone1527]

​@@blackcitadel37I think Sauropods are the same way, either some or all.

[@HooLeePhucingSheet]

Like a fool I bought lady bugs to fight off aphids but it was the babies who really ate them. This summer, I hope they all made babies and grow in my garden 🩵

[@giddy7079]

I figured for a moment that it's a bit weird that the larval and adult form both rely on the same food source but then remembered that the food source is aphid and there's ALWAYS enough aphids.

[@tungsten2009]

Aphids are like an alien pest that endlessly churns out copies of itself. Plenty to go around for the ladybug.

[@AzngameFreak03]

Every gardener knows the hatred for aphids. They are mosquitos for plants and reproduce as fast as a hive. They're really nasty when you have plants to take care of.

[@lyserg0zeroz]

I really appreciate how the part about how they eat the aphids is narrated with such detail and _relish_

[@KQEDDeepLook]

They do look a bit like relish, now that you mention it.

[@hugocastaenda4387]

@@KQEDDeepLook oh god... is that the secret ingredient?

[@wxlurker]

Nothing is as terrifying (as a someone who keeps plants) to see aphids, seeing the ladybugs feast was almost satisfying to watch 😂

[@Photo_doctor]

😂😂

[@mypal1990]

The lady bug is the punk high school kid who suddenly got their lives in order and suddenly became a success!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

I feel seen

[@Book_Theory.]

They still eat aphids. It they just look kinder now

[@wasyertakeawaythaturmadeofcorn]

Those aphid meal close-ups were intense, especially the juice box one.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Yeah, it's rough.

[@katymullins1680]

Ouch man

[@Albursine-]

I live in the middle of a city with a teensy tiny yard. A few years back we suddenly had a massive influx of ladybugs, which was super appreciated as battling aphids had been a constant struggle for us. Now we barely have to consider aphid control at all. We surmised that our tiny yard reached some stage of 'lushness' that attracted them and they've been a welcome guest ever since.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Here's another episode of ours, on convergent ladybugs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mV69Z6uImt2Vf7c

[@BillyJupiter]

2:54 dude is doing sit-ups after bulking for 3 weeks. Ladybugs Shred.

[@KartikChauhan__KC]

Once again the quality of these videos are just amazing, i wish you guys had a show on National Geographic or Discovery i would have loved a hour long documentary from Deep Look.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Maybe one day!

[@KanameYuuki]

The way they deploy their wings look so cool, it is like scifi nature that is just regular nature.

[@kaylathehedgehog2005]

They kind of remind me a switchblade opening. You almost expect to hear a small *shink* when they snap open.

[@BestOfAnimalss]

I love ladybugs in all their life-stages. I used to catch them and let it walk in my hand. A ladybug is a beetle we all love 🐞 ❤

[@elichernykh6181]

Yeah, even if they're actually terrifying as predators!

[@molybdaen11]

Fun fact: the ladybugs have such a round shell to allow them to attack aphids even if they are protected by ants. The ants mandribles find no hold and the ladybug can continue its dark work.

[@jakubsolar4670]

Just when I was a little boy, I've always explored bugs on the school yard, from spiders, bugs, grasshoppers or even stung by bee (the only time I got stung by a bug sting). I of course, found a larva and noticed how it eats none other than parasitic aphids. Knowing that Ladybug does the same I noticed the resemblance. Then in one book, I figured out that the aphid eating larva belongs to the Ladybug.

[@Moranthyst]

It’s always so weird and fascinating when bugs molt and totally different shapes and colors (or even stage) comes out. Also this made me remember one specie of ladybug that ate leaves of crops instead of aphids in my family’s small farm

[@timothygreer188]

Those are Cucumber Beetles. Some are colored like Ladybugs and others are green with spots or stripes.

[@darchandarchan7036]

we had a massive aphid problem in our garden, and it only get better when ladybugs appeared. Thank you, little friends

[@andreseriliano1761]

Ladybugs remind me of my childhood, spending my vacation in the countryside. It was the only crawling thing I wouldn't be afraid of. As a kid, I was always fascinated by its beauty.

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

I love them so much. They look like little baby Zerg~

[@ElArto95]

The pupa looks exactly like Kerrigan's chrysalis

[@emmaluu]

i've always loved seeing ladybugs in their larval stage, they look like little aliens! i love how they turn into cute little beetles while still eating up all the pesky aphids😊

[@Bay510Area]

The aphids are like "walking fruit".

[@Spectrulus]

Am I the only one who thinks the larval ladybugs are even cuter than the adults?

[@Bhaiyoaurbehno]

Yes

[@JosephDavies]

No.

[@edntz]

I want to eat the yellow inbetween stage before it turns into an adult ladybug. It looked like cheese.

[@Rainygirl3100]

No! They look like the epitome of the word "bug" and I love em

[@bfgfanatic1747]

Definitely not!

[@matttypes2695]

How I view most insects: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[@hoopajoop]

Another great video! I'd like to add that over the course of my life growing up in the Midwest, I've seen a decline in ladybugs. When I was young I would see hundreds of the red classic looking ladybugs in the summers. Now, I only see them sometimes and they are the orange and more aggressive variety. I've been told they're not native. I'm sure climate change and human involvement are to blame.

[@rpungello]

I get a lot of the oranger variety too nowadays, and man do they ever reek

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks for sharing!

[@NicolaiAAA]

Yeah they're Asian lady beetles. While they do at least still eat aphids, they'll also eat smaller native ladybugs as well as some fall fruits (apples, berries, etc.). And, surprise, surprise, the Department of Agriculture idiots of the past intentionally released them in the 70s and 80s, so of course now they're fcking everywhere.

[@LimeyLassen]

They also bite!

[@vicvega3614]

We have millions in Pennsylvania, they literally pile up around doors or windows, ladybugs, stinkbugs and some species of fruit flies are everywhere right now, oh and lantern flies

[@osmosisjones4912]

The aphids aren't even trying to resist

[@shlingusdingus4174]

It took me years to realize that those little larva are baby ladybugs, but when I did, I thought it was amazing that they pupate on the side of our house every year. We have a bush infested with aphids, and every year, slowly, that bush is nearly cleaned out.

[@AfraidMonsters]

Aphids are like the sheep of the insect world. Very weird. Like a herd that just stands there and groups up.

[@invisisolation]

This honestly makes them even cooler than they already are. Never knew they started out looking scary like that!

[@mokyodai]

I’d never know that ladybugs also underwent metamorphosis. It’s so nice learning new things everyday.

[@pisscow6395]

I love these educational videos but I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the music in the background that does great work at capturing these scenes!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Noted! Our music is composed for each episode by the amazing and talented Seth G. Samuel!

[@CyberusSuper]

2:16 That aphid is going to need some serious therapy...

[@Tazerbob]

😂😂

[@randommminator]

I was today’s age now knowing that ladybugs go through metamorphosis like butterflies unbelievable, guess I’ve missed the school project to raise them lol, thank you very much for the cool vid!!!

[@alifalif2205]

subhanAllah.... these creations of the creator always excite & amaze me....😊

[@starbomber]

I never knew that's what those bugs were! I used to see them all the time but there was a lot of debate among my friends about what *exactly* they were, and if they were dangerous. We never messed with them but this is interesting, answers a lot of burning questions I had as a kid.

[@putateng001]

That part of larvae coming out from their eggs is like a scene from an Alien movies

[@lisanidog8178]

Our neighbor as a kid, a retired Biology teacher showed her garden lady bugs feeding on aphids. I’ve also heard lady bugs are good luck. They’re adorable.

[@pisti7252]

I knew all this but never actually seen footage of the larva hunting, COOOL

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

Nice! I hadn't seen the pupae stage before. I remember finding larvae as a kid and I even saw a shed pupae casing, once.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

It was fun for us to see as well. :-)

[@ElysetheEevee]

I remember as a kid living in Washington, there was this schoolyard "fact" that the ladybugs that were black with red dots were venomous, lol. Like, kids insisted on it and started wars over it. Nobody played with those ladybugs, lol. You could find tons of ladybug eggs and hundreds of ladybugs in literal piles in this ravine by Chico Creek in the area I lived in (in the fall, salmon also spawned and died there, too, which was fun 😅). A metric ton of blackberry bushes, thick ferns, and other brush grew there, so it made sense there were lots of them. It was fun seeing the huge strips of orange eggs under fern leaves and stuff.

[@ttotheaetae]

In NZ Aotearoa we have iridescent blue green ladybirds. They look like beautiful jewels 🥰

[@Cartnite3]

Imagine just deciding to grow wings and then flying for the first time

[@onilink146]

Very cool! As a kid I did not know these little guys were what gathered in our front yard pine hedges. The hedge was always loaded with ladybugs and their larvae. Now as an adult I can appreciate what they do for our plants that get infested. My hibiscus are always getting aphids so I try to relocate lady bugs to them when I see one in the garden.

[@bubzee9177]

Some of these insects have very cool larval stage.

[@sunnyquinn3888]

Wow, I never knew that that's what baby/teenager ladybugs look like! 🐞❤️

[@jocelynuy2922]

Ladybugs look so freakin cool when they open their shells, it’s as if it’s an attack helicopter disguised as a tank! (Aka look like a wasp when their shells open)

[@xXmlgamingXx355]

That’s fascinating, inspiring, and disturbing at the same time…

[@KQEDDeepLook]

That's our show in a nutshell!

[@wisnuwardhana6423]

"Take that, butterflies!" 😂😂 got me every time i rewatch this episode. Deeplook team, Laura, Lauren, Amy, and the Music composer really did a great job. Thankyou so much for bringing bio science in interresting and entertaining way.

[@NewMessage]

My sister was exactly the same way. Except the bug eating. I mean, I assume.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Many of us went through a goth phase!

[@okman9684]

2:13 That aphid doesn't even care to screen. Dude really chillin while getting eaten

[@eternalblizzard70]

This teaches us we should respect the insects who help keep our farms alive. I love ladybugs so much that they help out us humans without even knowing ❤

[@Chris06660]

it's so cool how they turn into a pupa, beat the ender dragon, and find themselves the elytra

[@bayleybee]

I'm a retail gardener (nursery worker). We have a lot of aphids in spring, particularly on the viburnum, which are my plants to take care of. I hate using pesticide, so the solution is to play soldiers with the ladybug larvae: "Troop 208, well done on eradicating the enemy from viburnum sector 7-a. I'm moving you to sector 5-e, there are currently no troops stationed there" "Troop 142, do you read me? The Boss has deemed the area unstable and is getting the pesticide. I'm sending an air evac (my hands) to get you out of there. Troop 142, do you copy?" "Today Troop 67 graduates the academy, I have counted twelve pupa so far, and several cadets outgrowing their uniforms. Let's have a round of applause for 67!" I do all this out loud. My coworkers think it's hilarious. Three cheers for my little soldiers

[@apteropith]

i like how, despite being beetles and thus having a pupal stage, they larva don't really look that different from the adults (especially with their elytra opened up); it's like they'd rather have been hemimetabolous but it's not as weird as those pupating insects with otherwise grub-like larva, but where the first instar (right after hatching) look like tiny adults, with well-developed legs that can get them to a food source - and then they immediately molt into grubs and don't grow proper legs again until adulthood

[@savagedabs8536]

I've used ladybugs in my indoor gardens for years. Absolutely legendary workers and smile generators.

[@halloweendad]

I was at recess in elementary school when I first discovered ladybugs could fly. A couple of minutes after that I also discovered they could bite.

[@nateb9917]

Deep look is awesome despite their clips being a little short, but overall, I get to learn a majority of life outside my comfort zone ❤😊

[@HeIterSkelter]

Lovely episode yall. I remember being a kid fascinated by nature and I would see ladybug larvae but never knew what they were, my mind was blown when I found out.

[@bas_ee]

What the hellspawn is that. I did not know ladybugs were that metal before. Very cool.

[@adixar]

I've always loved insects and them especially. That happiness when you see that round bright red, sometimes orange or black, insect and it's so cute. It would mostly eject a strange smelling orange substance to repel me and actually, Asian invasive ladybugs bite!

[@hyrunnisa997]

I had no idea that the beetle shape wasn’t how they were born! Fascinating.

[@XanMacatan]

I love deeplook so much

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thank you! We love making these videos.

[@XanMacatan]

@@KQEDDeepLook 😁

[@Sheer37111]

Me too

[@Angel_Love6680]

Aphids : Ohno we're being attacked!! keep breeding!! Larva : Errr thanks ya'll

[@_Jai_]

That poor aphid was like: what…happened…🫥

[@80sbrunnette]

I already knew about all of this, but idc I still love ladybugs ❤️ Thanks to them , I have the best apples for apple pies !

[@PuertoRicanRattlesnake]

As a kid I always wondered what these were cause they were one of my favorites, I'm just now realizing they were ladybugs this whole time

[@Ramash440]

Make no mistake, I've always known ladybugs as nature's cutest little murder machines and I love them all the more for it. The amount of plants I've lost to aphids is too high to count, I hate them.

[@SegwayBossk]

I love seeing ladybugs on my plants, because I know they're eating the aphids up!

[@alicek7529]

Incredible videography! How much time and patience it must have taken for this little reel. Thank you so much!

[@SJHFoto]

A ladybug is a type of beetle (It's Ringo! Hehe!) All Beetles go thru stages just like caterpillars and butterflies

[@PixelPotato]

I love this! I'm caring for 4 swampy milkweed leaf beetles and it has been a real treat to check in on them and care for them! These are herbivores though and eat the milkweed leaves so they have their own little plants in their house

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Wonderful!

[@PushyPawn]

Anyone remembers being little, holding them in your fist until they pooped and then wondering what smells?

[@khalidaryuu]

I grew up seeing the larvae all the time during the summer, never would have guessed that they were lady bug larvae.

[@osmia]

Canadian here. I remember learning this when I was 4 years old from the "I Want to Know about . . ." series of books that our parents had bought for us. I loved those books!

[@ronforeman8394]

The music always goes so hard in every video

[@oogalook]

I did not expect this particular episode to be quite so disturbing! Nice job 😵‍💫

[@FromAgonyToLight]

These kinds of videos make me hope that bugs don’t feel pain

[@727Phoenix]

It feels weird listening to this video as I'm sitting next to my own black-lipped LadyBug (Felis sillinis)!

[@callystarizka-tata7892]

Ladybug is my favorite beetle because they're pretty and beautiful. I also love butterfly

[@thatterrariaguidenpc8054]

i actually didnt know ladybugs go metamorphosis too!, now its kinda cool and makes sense that hawkmoth has a beef with ladybug, both are similar bugs

[@Stormalisk]

I had one of their larvae sneak into my bathroom to change to an adult, it was quite an experience. Managed to catch em after they started being active as an adult. I hope they found a mate and lived good when I let them go.

[@nozyspy4967]

This is incredible, i never knew any of this about Ladybirds!

[@stancexpunks]

I LOVE watching up close aphid videos! And ladybugs eating them! More please

[@marenjones6665]

Ladybug larvae look like gila monsters! A connection I made as a child and have found amusing since.

[@keiibo9006]

It was so awesome seeing the ladybug at the end on native milkweed!!!! I have so much Narrowleaf milkweed which also comes with aphids so I naturally get a bunch of ladybugs too!

[@b.p.m.3660]

Two things: I always wondered what those little black and orange crawlers were. All my life until now! Secondly, the one aphid that gets it rear end sucked dry and chewed off just kinda looks at the camera like "Well what the heck do I do now!?"

[@joangordoneieio]

Who knew. A gardeners best friend!

[@GeneralLDS]

I can’t believe they made the minecraft elytra into a real animal

[@lateblossom]

I love this series so much.

[@GLENNCHRIS-SAMED-cc8ec]

The commentary was excellent. Such an exciting and insightful documentary 👏

[@nico.c97]

The cutest badass assassin bug ever

[@BunnyHeart994]

you're AWESOME, Deep Look! thank you!

[@D.H.1082]

Most bug babies start out tiny and squishy. Ladybug babies come out lookin like face huggers.

[@eklectiktoni]

A ladybug's favorite foods are aphid juice (fresh-squeezed) and farm fresh aphidsauce.

[@elesystemic6742]

Beetles fly fast and they're well armored including ladybugs and cockroach are like that too!

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

The first time I saw one of these eventually hatch into a Ladybug as a kid it blew my mind. The young just look like such a different type of bug all together. 😄👍

[@Salmonella_18]

the consistent efforts in every video is plausible. i love your videos so much

[@zacharywong483]

Absolutely fantastic script and visuals, as always!

[@FriendlyKat]

I never knew what ladybugs looked like before they became a ladybug! Also I thought LadyBirds were different to lady bugs? I hear like the Asian Ladybird is completely different to a Ladybug.

[@DavidCruickshank]

Nope, Ladybird is just what us Brits (and maybe others) call Ladybugs. Same insect, different name.

[@derekbrou]

every episode of this show is like "awww that's- yyeeeeeeuuuuuuuughggghhhh!! aw but look at- AAAAAAHHHH!!"

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks!!!

[@natalya402]

My mom loves ladybugs, and I'll never forget when she brought in some flowers and saw a larvae. She thought it was gross and tried to squish it. I told her it was a baby ladybug and she felt so bad