Ex-Ladybird I.D.

[shenk1]

Anyone care to put an ID to this rather unfortunate Ladybird?



Cheers,shenk1

[Klaas Reißmann]

Should be Harmonia axyridis, the "Japanese" as we say in Germany.

Regards
Klaas

[shenk1]

Cheers Klaas

Harlequin over here(had to look up the latin)

shenk1

[Klaas Reißmann]

Harlequin over here

Yes, I know since it is the most found one in Britain yet. I red the name several times. I just liked to bring in some "german flair". *rofl*

Maybe I should tell a bit of experience with this species in Germany. In 2003 I found the first Harmonia axyridis a few hundred meters away from my house. In 2004 they increased very much and I had to really surch for the home species to find them. The last garden before the park has got some Bryonia dioica growing on the fence and I always could find some Henosepilachna argus on it. In 2004 I could watch the larva of H. axyridis killing not only aphids, but also all the larva of Henosepilachna. In 2005 there was nearly no Henosepilachna to find, Coccinella septempunctata and Adalia bipunctata, the two most common species around here, were the same.

Since 2007 I notice the huge numbers of H. axyridis decreasing, since last year the beetles itself getting smaller (found some, that where nearly as small as Adalia decempunctata and made it nearly unimpossible to identify by a short look). This year I found much more of the homies than of H. axyridis. Henosepilachna argus is back in the numbers I know it from the years ago.

I guess the first increasing of the Harlequin is extremeally high, but very fast the parasitoids found them attractive and made life much harder for the Harlequin, so it settles down to a normal level with peaks in different years..., like all insects do. I guess there is no more use for the fear, that the "homies" extinct or get very rare, especially after the summer 2009, when Coccinella septempunctata flooded the north of Germany.

Keep your eyes on it.

Klaas