Thousands Of Ladybugs Take Flight To East Bay Hills For Winter
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Thousands upon thousands of ladybugs are taking flight in the East Bay hills.
East Bay Regional Park Naturalist Michael Charnofsky says even in Wednesday's rain, the ladybugs are hard to miss.
"When you see an insect by the thousands all together, it's something that we're just not used to. You should be in awe when you see this."
Charnofsky says the bugs have gathered in the East Bay to mate and sleep.
"What most people don't know is that most ladybugs, the most common ladybug that we have in California, it hibernates in a group."
The ladybugs typically migrate in November, only to leave a few months later.
"This is an adaptation to help them survive the winter. There's not enough food for them to eat in the winter where they normally live along the coast where these particular ladybugs live, there's not enough food for them, plus it's too cold for them to be active," according to Charnofsky.
