Size: from about 4mm to 8mm

Location: thousand of types are found world wide

Life span: 12 months

Life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult. It takes 28 days from egg to adult stage.

Fast facts:

• major predator are birds
• can be red with black spots or black with red spots.
• some are white for a short time at the start of their adult stage
• they have six spots on each wing
• their spots fade with age
• their eggs hatch after a week
• they feed on other insects
• squirts foul tasting yellow blood to avoid being eaten