Ladybugs is universally beloved, and one reason is that they're a natural (and adorable) form of pest control. They eat plant pests such as aphids, scale bugs, and meal can eat 5000 aphids across its lifetime. Ladybugs are harmless to most humans. They don't sting, and while they may occasionally bite, their bites don't cause serious injury or spread disease. Almost all ladybugs feed on soft-bodied insects and serve as beneficial predators of plant pests. Gardeners welcome ladybugs with open arms, knowing they will munch on the most prolific plant pests. Ladybugs love to eat scale insects, whiteflies, mites, and aphids. As larvae, they eat pests by the hundreds.