What do ladybugs actually do to get through the cold season? It varies amazingly depending on the species. It is particularly interesting that some species show a behavioral similarity to migratory birds that is unusual for insects.
Our native ladybirds fall into hibernation
Hibernation, hibernation or migratory bird behavior
In general, ladybirds overwinter as a fully formed beetle, i.e. as an imago, and not as a larva like other insects. Of the many different species of ladybirds, 3 groups can be distinguished with different hibernation methods:
1. The Hibernation Group
2. The southward migrants
3. The migrants north
hibernators
Most of the ladybird species that live with us stay with us in the winter and fall into hibernation or hibernation. They look for sheltered, damp places such as piles of leaves, cracks in walls or beds of moss. At temperatures below 12°C, the body of the cold-blooded beetle begins to go into hibernation mode. Bodily functions such as heartbeat and breathing slow down and body temperature drops to around 5°C. From the freezing point, an even more economical body mode occurs, the hibernation. Here, the bodily functions and the body temperature are reduced to 3-5% compared to the active mode.
migrants to the south
Other ladybird species set out for the winter like migratory birds in more southern regions. To do this, they gather in large flocks, just like the feathered animals, and mostly fly along the coasts to follow the warmer climate. Ladybugs that migrate south depend on sufficiently warm temperatures in winter because their organism cannot adapt to the cold by using a low flame mode.
migrants to the north
Oddly enough, other ladybugs migrate to even colder countries than ours during the winter. This is because, in order to survive, they need the hibernation and, accordingly, reliable, continuous sub-zero temperatures. The hibernation mode would wake them up too often, which in turn would lead to life-threatening energy consumption.