Ladybird Invasion

RobinP · #1 (**permalink**) 28-09-2011, 01:46 PM

Watch out, they're coming our way! My garden's already full of them, must be the warm Southerly winds blowing them towards us. Not sure if they are the dreaded Harlequins or not, seem to be normal types.

Dogghound · #2 (**permalink**) 28-09-2011, 01:52 PM

There has been several huge influex already along the east coast in the last couple of months of 7 spots and inland populations seem to be doing very well too.

RobinP · #3 (**permalink**) 28-09-2011, 01:54 PM

I've just checked a few - all Harlequins

Dogghound · #4 (**permalink**) 28-09-2011, 02:24 PM

Interesting, could it be due to their large scale emergences rather than migrants? Have you had many larvae or adults in the wider area?

Klaas Reißmann · #5 (**permalink**) 29-09-2011, 06:45 PM

Hi there,

absolutely normal for this species. The beetles overwinter in rock walls. They find them by looking for bright places looking similar. So they enter white or bright painted walls as well as dead, grey weathered stems, bright coloured window frames and other things.

The first beetle landing detaches a pheromone attracting others of his own species. Because this species is more or less new in parts of the UK, the increase is very high, and the numbers of overwintering beetles are hugh. In the beginning of the 2000s this species was new in Germany and we had aggregates of 1.000.000 and more beetles on white painted walls and similar things.

Don't worry about it. Within the next years the numbers will fall. In Germany we notice a very high number of beetles being infected by parasitoids. Numbers are much smaller today and sometimes the old species are more often than the asian.

Regards
Klaas