Once the adult emerges from the pupa (or molts) it is soft and pale colored
(i.e. teneral). In a couple of hours its exoskeleton will harden and
develop its adult coloration. The beetle will retain this coloration
and hardened exoskeleton for the rest of it life. Shortly after
molting, the wings are
typically small and shriveled and take several minutes to expand to their
full size.
Adult ladybugs can live up to nine months. Their appetite for
aphids is unquenchable and they will eat as many as 5000 aphids during their
lifetime. A typical adult female will lay from 50 to 100 eggs before it
dies.
