A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of
salt, but with more than a grain of truth!

Oh, that does bring back childhood memories of ladybirds settling on our hands as we chanted, as all children did then:

Ladybird ladybird fly away home,

Your house is on fire and your children are gone,

All except one and that's little Ann,

For she crept under the frying pan.

I have always had a liking for the pretty little ladybird. I bought my son a dressing gown with ladybird buttons when he was small, and I still have the buttons! I have a small one stuck on my old computer and the wallpaper on the new one incorporates another ladybird.

There appears to be no particular history or deeper meaning to the verse, but apparently 'ladybird' comes from the Middle Ages when they were known as the "Beetle of Our Lady". They were named after the Virgin Mary because in religious paintings she wore a red cloak. The seven-spot ladybirds especially are symbols of seven joys and seven sorrows.

However, that first line of the verse has taken on a new significance in today's wacky world of wildlife. In addition to about 46 species of the family Coccinellidae in the UK there is now a newcomer called the 'Harlequin ladybird', Harmonia axyridis. Apparently only 26 of the native ones look like ladybirds, but this new one is bigger and notorious for its cannibalistic ways. Part of the reason for writing this article is to educate myself.

I often find ladybirds on my bathroom windowsill and leave them alone as they like hibernating in houses. This new one, however, will not receive such a welcome as it has some rather worrying habits. These are a major threat to our own ladybirds and many other insects such as lacewings and butterflies.

Universally the ladybird has always been seen as a sign of good luck, possibly because their appearance in large numbers heralds a good growing season with fewer pests. As with the albatross, it has always been considered that killing one brings bad luck. Generally, they clear gardens, fields and allotments of pests and have always been regarded as the gardeners' friend.

So often, though, too much of a good thing can be disastrous, and in summer 1976 the ladybird population exploded in the UK. Because there were so many, people in areas of south and east England saw millions of dead ladybirds who died of starvation when their food supply ran out.

Clearly though there are exceptions to the rule that this is a friendly visitor world wide and not a pest. Along with the Harlequin 'pest', the 28th spotted ladybird eats tomato, pumpkin and potato plants. They also excrete a nasty liquid to deter predators. The Harlequin is also known as the Multi-coloured ladybug, or the Asian ladybird. It is about 6-8mms in size, and apparently is much bigger than the indigenous ones. I can't say I have ever got round to measuring local ones, but bigger than usual should ring alarm bells!

It can be found anywhere where there is a food supply and has apparently spread like wildfire through the UK, from the south-east at first, reaching as far as Durham in the north.

Like so many non-indigenous predatory creatures, it was introduced first to North America from Asia as a biological control. As so often happens, it solved one problem and created another! It has spread across the United States more or less taking over in under twenty five years. Canada now faces the same problem, as does Europe, and it is spreading rapidly here. In all countries, as here, it is threatening the nations' own species.

Now, earlier I mentioned it has some rather unpleasant habits that make it most unwelcome. Apart from devouring our insects, it is bigger and more aggressive than our species, gives off a vile smelling chemical which can stain furniture, and, most worrying of all, its bite can cause an allergic reaction. So this pretty little thing is most definitely not to be trifled with. Its colouring sends out warning signals, but it appears to come in many guises, making it hard to identify. I shall not be showing my usual affection in future I can tell you!

Looking to find a definitive description, I found there are at least 24 different outfits that this 'lady' wears. She is much more voluptuous than her British counterparts, that is, rounder!

'She' and presumably 'he' can be red or orange with up to about 20 black spots, or possibly mainly black with possibly four red patches. It seems that it has one distinguishing feature to look out for, and that is a white triangular mark on its head which appears to be unique to this particular species.

Confused? I am, so perhaps it is best to let the experts decide. It seems to me that if you 'spot' (sorry!) the offending beetle you should take a photograph if possible, or catch it in something (without touching it), then report it. Information about where to send details and the map of its current distribution can be found at Harlequin Survey.

The website is quite comprehensive. Follow the links to learn how to send photographs, specimens and background details. All the facts you could possibly need are there, and you can submit details online, or by post if you have a live specimen.

I would say: if you live in the south-west or north of England, Wales or Scotland, it is imperative that you do this as there are far fewer sightings in those areas to date but that doesn't mean that they have not migrated that far.

In the meantime, what to do about them should they invade your home, as they are wont to do, in large numbers? A bit like ants, they leave a chemical trail for others to follow, so cleaning up after them is essential. A huge infestation should probably send you running to your local Council pest controllers, but it can prove expensive and not necessarily effective, as they are hardy little critters! Keep a lookout for lime and sycamore trees, as they seem to have a preference for these.

There is a huge problem with covering a subject like this - the information is endless and fascinating and it would be easy to go rambling on at some length, so I will close with a few interesting bits about ladybirds in general.

46 species in the UK sounds a lot, but Australia has almost 300 species, though like here, only a few are well recognised. They are used to control the Eucalyptus leaf beetle in Eucalyptus plantations in Australia. In California, USA in 1905, Australian ladybirds Rodolia cardinalis were imported to be used to control a common citrus pest, the cottony cushion scale. It became known as the saviour of the citrus industry. Ladybirds have even been used by NASA for research in space, but hopefully not using the Harlequin variety!

There are so many different insects inhabiting a healthy garden, it is difficult to know them all, but I did think I knew the most common. However, I did not know that the the larvae of our common ladybirds are steely blue or black with yellow or white spots on the body, and they look quite ferocious in an earwiggy kind of way. Clearly, you need to have a very close acquaintance with your garden to see such things, and most of us don't, gardeners excepted of course!

I hope this has given you an insight into our pretty beetles, and that you will go looking for more information, whilst taking on board the warning that all is not what it seems.

'Ladybird, Ladybird Fly Away Home' seems to be good advice, but it seems it is falling on deaf ears (do ladybirds have ears?!) and the Harlequin ladybird is set to join a long line of colourful characters creating havoc in our mini ecosystem.

Websailor's Wacky Wildlife
World Archive

Websailor

15.11.07 Front Page

Back Issue Page