Bug on Chilli plant?

purplehelen44 · #1 (**permalink**) 19-08-2009, 03:46 PM

Hi, I'm growing a chilli plant on my balcony and found quite a few of these things crawling all over it the last few days. I'm new to the whole gardening thing so I juat wanted to check if they're harmless or if I need to take any action.

Thanks in advance,

Helen

nutmeg · #2 (**permalink**) 19-08-2009, 03:55 PM

Hi, it's the larva of the Harlequin ladybird - won't do any harm to your chillis.

purplehelen44 · #3 (**permalink**) 20-08-2009, 01:16 AM

Good to know, thank you!

Monkey Orchid · #4 (**permalink**) 20-08-2009, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nutmeg

Hi, it's the larva of the Harlequin ladybird - won't do any harm to your chillis.

In fact, if your chilli plants get aphids (greenfly or blackfly) on them, this little critter will eat a lot of them up for you. Like all ladybird larvae, the Harlequin is a hungry predator of aphids - apparently it can eat 12,000 in a year.

Unfortunately the Harlequin (which is a non-native species to the UK, introduced for pest control purposes) also eats the eggs and larvae of many other British insects, including our native ladybirds (such as the 2-spot and 7-spot) and moth and butterfly species. There are concerns that it is going to have a serious effect on some of our native wildlife. Since first being confirmed as resident in the UK in 2004, it has managed to spread from the south to the northernmost parts of Scotland already.

There is a national Harlequin ladybird survey project which has a website with lots of info, if you'd like to know more:

Harlequin Ladybird Survey - home