Adult ladybirds become active and leave their overwintering sites to find food. May: Male and female ladybirds mate. June-July: Mated females lay eggs which hatch into immature stages called 'larvae' which pass through four instars (stages) and then form 'pupae'. Ladybug eggs are bright yellow. The females lay eggs in bunches of about 5 – 50, on the undersides of leaves to protect them from predators and adverse weather. They lay eggs many times per season; a female lays around 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. Of the 5,000 ladybug species found worldwide, 450 are native to North America, with 175 of those species found in California. Adults mate in early spring (when it is warm enough and again in June if the aphid population is abundant.