Geographic distribution and habitats: Ladybugs

The life span of a ladybug is rather short. Typically, the adults live anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. The longest life spans, which are typically ladybugs living in colder climates, will occasionally exceed years.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Dr. Natalia Vandenberg is partial to one of the world's most beloved insect. She studies lady beetles, more commonly known as ladybugs, at the USDA's Systematic Entomology Lab, located in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Vandenberg says she believes the history behind the ladybug has a lot to do with its acceptance in the world community.

"The name is a reference to the Virgin Mary, 'the beetle of Our Lady,'" she says. "The title was probably bestowed in recognition of the ladybug's useful role as a predator of many plant pests."

Throughout the ages, people have welcomed the sight of ladybugs in their fields and flower gardens, where they feast on aphids and other plant-sucking insects.

Many people know ladybugs because the pretty insects are distributed all over the world. Found in both cold and warm climates, and quite adaptable to their surroundings, ladybugs "can live in the tops of trees, on meadow wildflowers, or even in an ant nest deep underground," Vandenberg says.

VIDEO CNN Student Bureau's Michael McManus talks with USDA entomologist Dr. Natalia Vandenberg about the lady beetle Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

"Many ladybugs enjoy living near water, where aphids are abundant, and some even specialize on pests of floating pond vegetation such as water lettuce."

The distribution of ladybugs is so great that it's no surprise that there are nearly 6,000 different species of the beetle. There are over 480 species in North America alone, and most people can find a number of different ladybug species right in their own backyard.

Many ladybugs inhabit the Earth, but there isn't a good deal of interaction among them. Unlike bees and ants, ladybugs aren't social insects. That means even though they may be found basking or feeding together, they don't cooperate in any of these activities.

When a mother ladybug finishes laying her eggs, she doesn't even stick around to see them hatch. Many people don't realize that ladybugs are hibernators. The beetles can hibernate for long stretches in the winter, and some even sleep through the hot, dry parts of the summer.

Even with the thousands of different species of ladybugs, most people remember only one color when talking about them: red. Actually there are several bright colors that adorn the shell. Ladybugs are known for being red with black spots, but the colors can vary widely.

A yellow shell with black spots, white with black spots, maroon with white spots and solid reds and black are not uncommon. There are even some striped and banded varieties.

Humid climates usually play host to darker colored ladybugs. In the dry and arid parts of the world, the colors are lighter. More than one color pattern can be characteristic of a single species.

"It's kind of like eye color in people," says Dr. Vandenberg, "where members of a single family might have either brown or blue eyes."

The bright colors were part of the reason Vandenberg initially developed a liking for ladybugs. She was 6 years old when her parents told her to be careful of bugs that bite. The only insects she was allowed to play with were ladybugs.

Vandenberg's kindergarten teacher taught her a new word, which stuck with her: Entomologist. The meaning? A branch of zoology dealing with insects. She took the definition to heart, making it a hobby of hers and studying the subject in school.

Michael McManus is an anchor for CNN Student News.