Harlequin Ladybirds

Dan Salter · #**391** (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misanthrope

After I mentioned seeing a few harlequins a week ago they seemed to vanish again.
Yesterday (27th September) there were large numbers flying and landing on the pebble-dash and windows. I suppose they see the house as a rock face with hibernation potential!
Here is a photo taken today showing about 80 harlequins in a corner of a window. There are another three aggregations like this, which will shortly be relocated!
I haven't checked the curtain linings yet, but I expect to find more there. This is becoming an annual event and is the third consecutive year it's happened.

Exactly the same deal for me down in kent. Im normally swamped with them for most of the year but this year they have been strangely few and absent..and none indoors at all? however.....yesterday 27th with that bit of sunshine they have all appeared again and were making a beeling for any open window or door to get in the house....here we go again

aeshna5 · #**392** (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 06:28 PM

I haven't seen any ladybirds for a week or 2 now + I usually see plenty of Harlequins + some other spp. too.

Paul mabbott · #**393** (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Exactly the same deal for me down in kent. Im normally swamped with them for most of the year but this year they have been strangely few and absent..and none indoors at all? however.....yesterday 27th with that bit of sunshine they have all appeared again and were making a beeling for any open window or door to get in the house....here we go again

Let's not forget that in USA they have been called the 'Hallowe'en Ladybird' because they have a reproductive spurt in September and come into houses in Autumn .... I suspect that people will be seeing more of them as the days grow colder ....

Paul mabbott · #**394** (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 08:38 PM

Yes, in general, I've not seen a single ladybird of any species (Corby to Newcastle) since I've been back in UK (at least a month). Will be interested to see if/when/where any ladybirds appear if the weather stays mild.

Misanthrope · #**395** (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 09:48 PM

I did a quick sweep here on the 19th, looking for something to show a group of Brownies, and found 16, 22 and 24 spot ladybirds. There were also a couple of orange ladybirds on sycamore.

I don't know where the harlequins have been hiding. I've seen very few all summer but there have been more 7-spots around. I saw several on thistles a few weeks ago. Earlier in the year there were reasonable numbers of pine ladybirds and I've also picked up the odd cream spot. 2-spots seem scarce though.

Dan Salter · #**396** (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misanthrope

I did a quick sweep here on the 19th, looking for something to show a group of Brownies, and found 16, 22 and 24 spot ladybirds. There were also a couple of orange ladybirds on sycamore.

I don't know where the harlequins have been hiding. I've seen very few all summer but there have been more 7-spots around. I saw several on thistles a few weeks ago. Earlier in the year there were reasonable numbers of pine ladybirds and I've also picked up the odd cream spot. 2-spots seem scarce though.

On a personal day by day observation (including a ladybird field study i did for uni in May/June) harlequins were a daily observation/pest/plague around my home and garden but they have been very scarce this year?..i was wondering if they have moved further north from my area of Kent?...i have had a minimal amount turn up in my weekly moth trap sessions but have had equal amounts of native species too...but this weekend the harlequins seem back with a vengence so im not sure where they have been off to ha ha...not that happy to have them back though as they take over my bedroom!

aeshna5 · #**397** (**permalink**) 04-10-2008, 08:37 PM

After a couple of ladybird free weeks yesterday I found a 22-spot in a garden near Wandsworth Common + today found a 7-spot + on top of Gorse a tiny Kidney-spot Ladybird at Burnham Beeches.

Paul mabbott · #**398** (**permalink**) 06-10-2008, 03:50 PM

It's getting on to hallowe'en so we should expect more of them!
I hadn't seen any ladybird at all since the end of July until this weekend when I came a across a few pines (Exochomus quadripustulatus) and oranges (Halyzia sedecimguttata and today quite a few harlequins (Harmonia axyridis) at various places in Sheffield. Not only are their 'adults' but still plenty of larvae and many pupae so, unless there's a frost, we can expect more ladybirds over the next month ......