Lady Bug Study Part 1

K's jar, every other day she adds a leaf with aphids.

This Larva is munching away on an aphid. They are veracious eaters!

If you want to raise ladybugs as a unit study or just for fun you don't have to buy a kit!  This happened by accident, K brought in some lady bugs and put them in a mason jar. I was telling her to take them back outside when K said;" Mom! She's laying eggs!" Sure enough there was a neat bunch of lady bug eggs! The female was the giant one.  So we let the momma ladybug go and I began researching all the things ladybug. They're pretty easy to raise. We have an aphid infestation right now so we have a steady food supply. So we grabbed some aphid covered leaves and threw it in the jar. Three days later they began hatching! They remain in the larval stage for 5-7 days, during which the have a veracious appetite! They are machines! We spent a lot of time watching them hunt down aphid after aphid.  I must say, they are ugly in the larval stage...not what you would think a pretty ladybug would look like.  A true ugly duckling story.  We're still waiting for them to go to the pupa stage, it's been 6 days since they hatched so I will post a part 2!  In the mean time here are the resources that I have used:

• This link is for the booklet and cut out time chart.  You will have to sign up to download, but its a great resource website anyway! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Cycle-of-a-Ladybug-Freebie-654678
• Some good reading:Lady Bug Life Cycle 
• Life Cycle wheel wheel with out answers: http://akidsheart.com/animals/bugs/ladybugcycle.html
• I used this one for the answer life cycle wheel: http://www.ladybug-life-cycle.com/ladybug-coloring-pages.html

There are so many things out there you can do! Make ladybug crafts, reading, etc!