The rarest ladybugs in North America are no bigger than the head of a pin. Only two members of this tiny family have ever been found, one male and one female, and they weren’t even collected in the same state.
Luckily, the larger red and black garden ladybugs that eat aphids aren’t rare at all. Can Ladybugs eat apples?
While most ladybugs eat mainly leaves, aphids and other small, soft-bodied insects, they can eat low acidic food such as apples. Polliniferous ladybugs feed on pollen and the nectar from young apple trees. Ladybugs use their mandibles to bite into the apples, leaving pinhead-sized bite marks in the fruit.
Table of Contents
Do Ladybugs Eat Apples
Ladybugs do eat apples, but you don’t need to worry about them destroying your orchard.
There are species of ladybugs that are exclusively carnivorous and herbivorous, but many can have soft-bodied insects and some non-acidic fruit. However, they won’t eat a lot of fruit either way.
Unlike larger insects, fruit-eating ladybugs typically eat more of their preferred foods like leaves or aphids.
Here is a quick list of fruits you can feed ladybugs as a treat: apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, dates, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and raspberries.
If they don’t take the offer, don’t be offended, and remember that not all ladybug species eat fruits.
Although ladybugs, in general, are opportunistic eaters, there are six types of ladybugs:
- Acariphagous – Acariphagous diets consist of mites.
- Aphidophagous – This means they eat aphids primarily.
- Coccidophagous – These ladybugs feed on coccids, otherwise known as scales.
- Mycophagous – Some mycophagous ladybugs are facultative and choose to eat fungus occasionally or in emergencies. Meanwhile, others are obligate and fungal organisms such as powdery mildews make up their diet.
- Phytophagous – This type of ladybug dines on leaves and vegetative plant parts.
- Polliniferous – Pollen eaters or polliniferous ladybugs may also eat nectar from young apple trees. Naturally, this is the type most likely to enjoy an apple.
How Do Ladybugs Eat Apples
Ladybugs eat apples with their mouths. These beetles are capable of biting and chewing. A ladybug can technically bite a human, but it won’t do any damage. If you ever feel a tiny pinch while holding a ladybug, you just got bitten.
Happily, they are non-poisonous. Additionally, ladybugs cannot break your skin, and they do not carry or transmit any human diseases.
According to DenGarden, “The ladybug’s mouth has strong jaws called mandibles. Their antennae help ladybugs with their sense of smell and help them find their prey and their mate.”
However, their ‘strong’ mandibles are proportional, and due to their tiny size, these beetles pose no threat to you.
If you were an aphid or other minuscule insect, you would need to worry about a ladybug’s mouth. They are only capable of chewing things small enough to stick in their mouths.
Moreover, the foods they eat are typically either very soft or thin. Leaf edges, pinhead-sized bites of fruit, or nearly microscopic insects are all they can chew.
How Often Will Ladybugs Eat Apples
There is little to no data on the exact quantity of apple a ladybug will eat in a day. However, I can confidently say that a ladybug can eat 20 to 25 aphids in a day.
However, for fruit and vegetation-eating ladybugs, you should feed them half a leaf of lettuce torn up small and a dime-sized drop of water mixed with honey one to two times per day to graze on, though they are unlikely to finish the meal.
A couple of raisins that have been softened in water is a standard recommendation for people raising ladybugs. Based on that information, I can make an educated guess.
You probably don’t want to offer a ladybug more than one thin slice of apple per day. Plus, it will graze and likely not finish the whole piece.
Ladybugs live about a year, and some species can go as long as 9 months without food in an emergency, which is impressive.
As larvae, they eat about 10 times as much per day as adult beetles. The larvae will eat moist non-acidic fruits as well.
In this case, I recommend offering them a couple of slices and checking back throughout the day to see if they need more.
Will Apples Harm Ladybugs
Apples will not harm ladybugs. It is a wise plan to remove any overripe or fallen fruits from your garden or orchard to prevent infestations of undesirable insects and beetles.
However, I’ve found no evidence that even fermented and fallen fruit is a danger to ladybugs. Despite their diminutive size and tiny brains, these beetles appear to be smart about watching their own diet.
Other than citrus, which they avoid naturally, there’s not much that endangers ladybugs. Frogs, lizards, and even small snakes eat them, but the reverse is not valid.
Ladybugs don’t accidentally ingest poison unless it’s from chemicals like herbicides that humans spray. Notably, diatomaceous earth can kill ladybugs, but not because they eat it.
Can Ladybugs Eat Applesauce
Ladybugs can eat some applesauce. Unfortunately, most applesauce uses a preservative known as citric acid, the same ‘stuff’ that makes some fruit acidic, as a preservative.
The citric acid prevents the applesauce from browning by slowing down oxidation, but it can also be dangerous to your ladybugs.
Avoid feeding applesauce that has cinnamon, preservatives, or even added sugars. Your best bet is either homemade or an organic, 100 percent apple sauce with nothing added.
You can find these in stores, though they are less common than the sugar and acid variety.
Helpful Tips To Know If Ladybugs Can Eat Apples
Many ladybugs can eat apples, but there are some species with more specialized diets. If you are raising ladybugs, it’s best to stick with whatever the retailer recommends for their primary food source.
Here are more helpful tips to know if ladybugs can eat apples.
- While most adult ladybugs live about a year, some species can survive for up to three years. That’s a lot more apples and aphids than their shorter-lived cousins.
- Although cannibal is not one of the recognized 6 types of ladybug diets, they likely ate eggs from their fellow larvae. Adult female ladybugs usually lay clusters of eggs on the underside of leaves near to a food source such as Aphids, so hatching Larvae will almost instantly have a ready supply of food from the start.
- In addition to the usual foods like apples, honey, and aphids, ladybugs sometimes enjoy more exotic foods. Some eat cucumber or figs, and they consume many insects, from larval butterflies to some tiny spiders.
Final Thoughts
While most of the US ladybug population eat mainly aphids and other small, soft-bodied insects, they can eat fruits such as apples.
Humans aren’t the only species that enjoy a sugary treat, after all. Although they probably won’t eat a lot, it is safe to offer ladybugs a little raw apple or some unsweetened, preservative-free applesauce.
However, citric acid is often used as a preservative, so it’s imperative to read the label before putting processed applesauce where the ladybugs can reach it.
Since acids are harmful to these beetles, they may not eat them, and if they do, it will wreak havoc on their bodies. Offer your treats with care, and when in doubt, use raw apple.
