General Chat

Grandson and I were counting them yesterday, in my mum's garden. We lost count as more and more appeared.

N.E. London

Yes ours were all on the south facing wall.Have they gone now??????I think they might.The sun has gone in and I can't see them on the windows.

It's happening all over the country, and for the second time in as many weeks. The sunshine has brought them all out. Most will have them on south-facing walls.

Not just the British species, but thousands of harlequins too, a foreign species which is vastly outnumbering the british ones. Close views not only reveal a very variable pattern of spots on the back, but brown legs, rather than the british black.

All you can do is hoover them up from wherever they settle to hibernate, and they will, in big clusters. They are harmless to you though, just a nuisance.

Them foreign ones are destroying our Uk ones they are really aggressive lttle Bs.

Just went out for a look...nope, none here ;((


Marion

The Harlequin Ladybird has landed!

A new ladybird has arrived in Britain. But not just any ladybird: this is the harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis, the most invasive ladybird on Earth.

The harlequin ladybird was introduced to North America in 1988, where it is now the most widespread ladybird species on the continent. It has already invaded much of northwestern Europe, and arrived in Britain in summer 2004.

The distribution map on the left or the annnual spread maps show that it has spread rapidly north and west from the southeast of England since its first sighting.

There are 46 species of ladybird (Coccinellidae) resident in Britain and the recent arrival of the harlequin ladybird has the potential to jeopardise many of these. The Harlequin Ladybird Survey will monitor its spread across Britain and assess its impact on native ladybirds.

Monitoring ladybirds across the country has never been more important. We want YOU to get involved! Please record your harlequin ladybird sightings

You can find out more about the UK's native ladybirds by visiting the UK Ladybird Survey website.

Got plenty round this way..............


............this way is the Norfolk Coast.....................

Maz has just sent this thru .........



have a looky here
http://www.ladybird-survey.org/downloads/Ladybird%20descriptions_Info%20pack_2006_v.1.3.pdf
I think our ones are the Harlequins - the foreign invaders. Also see the main page of that site and it'll tell you all about them and how to report your sightings - all this from a link at the BBC autumnwatch site, expect they will talk about it on tonight's show :-)
xxxxx

Loads of them here . i couldnt hang my washing out coz i was scared they would attack me lol they are massive ...
Rosex

Hi

Ive just got 14 of them from inside my house where I have had my window's open, looked out the back garden and their is loads of them

Ive shut my window's and having a look for more

Deb
East London

There is a huge cluster in my daughter' boyfriends garden, right at this moment ....they're all over the garden in west London.

We have loads of them. I was just watching one walk across the window just before I saw this thread :o))

Well they can hurry up and settle somewhere other than here please lol.
I think they are quite nice things really but not in this number!!

There're in Herts too, saw 8 on my kitchen window went out to investigate & there were loads on the roses, red ones with big black spots.

I think Maz might be right ................ maybe they are looking to settle somewhere - but then it's turned very muggy here so perhaps they are confused what they should be doing lolol

I wish I hadn't hung my washing out now lol.They seem to be many more in number now.

Our Maz has just sent me this pm ............


Hi Anita
you can add to your thread that we were 'attacked' by them at the allotments this morning - at one point I think I had about 6 on me - 1 is fine but 6 tooo many! they seemed to be heading into one of the sheds there, possibly to hibernate but maybe they thought it was spring! either way, there were hundreds of them - mostly red with black spots but a fair few were black with red spots, which I've never seen before. there was even one in the post office, when I called in there on the way home!!
xxxxxxxxxx

Well they have now travelled to Middlesex. My husband just told me, there are small ones big ones, red, yellow and black ones, won't be doing any gardening to-day!!

Carol

Had a closer look at some on the window - they have loads of black spots, more than our 'standard' giant ladybirds ........

Had the wasps earlier in the week lol

There seem to be different ones here now.Some look like the normal ones but a lot look like the black and red ones.Wasps too!!!!!