Ladybugs

I kind of doubt it, as their shell is so hard. I wonder if there may be a stage in their life cycle where they would be edible.

They taste like crap. Few things will eat them.

You've had them Brent? :lol:

Luke

Darks!de said:

You've had them Brent? :lol:

Luke

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You don't want to know the number of bugs I've eaten. I'll just repeat. They taste like crap... and most herps seem to agree.

As mentioned before, these guys are pretty distasteful to herps. They secrete a yellow, bitter protein when disturbed, and this is what makes them unsuitable for a food item. BUT, I do keep several ladybugs in some of my vivariums for one reason....they love to eat scales.

for such a beautiful, cute, and beneficial insect, why would anybody want to use them for food? :shock:

It was just a thought since they are ALL OVER my house right now!! I don't kill them as they are beneficial to my landscaping in the summer, but I am ready for spring so they can go outside!!! :lol:

Rain_Frog said:

for such a beautiful, cute, and beneficial insect, why would anybody want to use them for food? :shock:

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I agree that the red ladybugs are great, beneficial insects. However, their orange counterpart, the Chinese Lady Beetle (or so I understand they are called) swarm like mad during some years, show up in droves inside houses, stink, taste bad (yes, like Brent, I have eaten them . . . but on accident when mowing), and BITE. I don't care how many aphids they eat, I hate 'em.

P.S. -- My tincs won't touch them . . . occasionally, one gets into their cage. My tincs even devour the flour beetles that everyone else says frogs won't eat, but they won't even look at a ladybug.

Sometimes I collect aphids to feed my frogs and once accidentaly collected a lady bug with the aphids and introduced it into my terrarium. Well I'm not sure if my tinc meant to eat it but he did and it passed through his system mostly intact. So they CAN eat them but I don't think it is the best idea.