There are predators that show a scary appearance since they’re born and weapons that would intimidate even an entire army. Powerful claws, strong and chainsaw-like fangs, or even spines and dark mimetic colours. But it’s not always like that. There are also less punk-shaper predators, more modestly-shaped, maybe with nice brilliant colours.
Ladybugs ( Coccinella septempunctata in this case) for instance, surely don’t have the typical predator appearance, but appearance often deceives. They’re life long hunters, since larvae to adults. They prey upon Aphids, the so called plant lice, tiny parasite insects which suck the sap of plants. The ladybugs know that and climb up to the colonies of these apparently defenceless insects to raid over them, with the pleasure of floriculturists. But very often aphids are not alone. They’re strongly defended by ants, which are rewared by them with abudant glucose-rich secretions, a surplus derived by their sap-based diet. So hunting is no more a “promenade” for the ladybug, instead it becomes a dangerous affair. Its shield-like body is very tough but both legs and belly are vulnerable to the ants. So raid-hunt is a good technique. Nonethless, in the course of its life a single ladybug can eliminate hundreds of aphids. This is the reason why it is considered one of the most useful insects by humans and its cultures.