Do ladybirds bite?

[mrs fish]

do ladybirds bite? I was cutting some of my willow down yesterday and I think one of the ladybirds took a bite from my arm, I only got a quick glance at it and it had a black triangle on its back, was it a native or a alien?
It was a quite sharp bite
I have seen quite a few ladybirds this weekend while gardening including a yellow/black 22 spotted

[buzfuz8149]

A good few years ago there was a ladybird explosion they were everywhere can't remember the year sure some one will as it made the papers as people said they were being bitten.

[Kev Lewis]

Originally Posted by buzfuz8149

A good few years ago there was a ladybird explosion they were everywhere can't remember the year sure some one will as it made the papers as people said they were being bitten.

I was at work during that massive invasion of ladybirds. The walls of the house literally turned a shimmering red, incredible to see Ladybirds can bite but it's unusual and certainly not dangerous just painful lol

[louis.otto]

Yup, they bite usually in self-defence or if they get a little terratorial, and they've got a deadly venom too...just kidding, it's pretty harmless

[Laurence Clemons]

The year in question was 1976. It was very hot and dry and the reason given for ladybirds biting humans was that their aphid food source had been exhausted and they were simply biting anything in the hope that it was edible.

[mrs fish]

Does anyone know what type of ladybird has a black triangle on its back?
Thanks for your replies re the bite

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by mrs fish

Does anyone know what type of ladybird has a black triangle on its back?
Thanks for your replies re the bite

Whereabouts on its back? The Adonis' ladybird Hippodamia (Adonia) variegata has a large scutellar spot which can be quite triangular. Otherwise I'll need a picture!

As Laurence said 1976 was the big year for ladybirds, especially 7-spots, although it started in 1975 which was also a warm year with lots of aphids - many ladybirds survived over the winter and started breeding well and early in 1976 .... by summertime there were millions of ladybirds and no aphids so they started eating anything - ice cream, hamburgers ... - or at least trying to eat anything.

This wasn't just a British phenomenon, it happened all over Europe. Apart from eating people, they also did a lemming thing - masses of them flew off looking for food until they had nowhere else to fly and drowned. There were tide marks of dead ladybirds on all beaches from Brighton to Istanbul ... I'll see if I can find a piccy ....

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by louis.otto

Yup, they bite usually in self-defence or if they get a little terratorial, and they've got a deadly venom too...just kidding, it's pretty harmless

Sorry Louis but ladybirds are not territorial, nor are they venomous, but in self-defence they reflex-bleed + the substance produced is acrid + deters some potential predators. I think the biting is more to do with hunger than self-defence!

[mrs fish]

Good to see you back on WAB aeshna5, I have been wondering where you were

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Sorry Louis but ladybirds are not territorial, nor are they venomous, but in self-defence they reflex-bleed + the substance produced is acrid + deters some potential predators. I think the biting is more to do with hunger than self-defence!

There seems to be plenty of aphids around at the moment,well at least more than last year, so with luck,ladybirds won't need to try us humans out for lunch.