General Chat

How can there be ladybirds in my living room--in January??!! I had a problem with them last summer but assumed it was cos I had the windows open. Why now? And why me? Can anyone suggest how I get rid of them? I've had 3 this week! Thank you! Sal

hi sally hang on a minute hun,i'll just go and fetch my grandaughter,she loves em lol i havent a clue how to get rid of them though:( susie

You must have greenfly as well - thats what they feed on!

Andy, I've lived here for ten years--never had a greenfly! That's what puzzles me too--what are they eating? Also, I live on the top floor of a 3 storey apartment block, and have no plants--I can't imagine what is attracting them! Susie, send her over--please!

sal i would hun but shes only 2,lol i found this on a website. Adult ladybirds hibernate through the winter in sheltered places amongst dense vegetation, leaf-litter, under tree bark etc., or inside buildings, outhouses and sheds. They often invade houses, nestling around doors and window frames, or in the folds of curtains. If you find these sleepy individuals, have a thought to their future value in controlling garden pests - it takes little time to coax them carefully into a jar and move them to a garden shed, hedge bottom or other sheltered place outside, where they can finish their winter sleep.Some ladybirds become strongly gregarious as winter approaches and huddle together in large clusters, sometimes consisting of several hundred individuals. The reason for this behaviour is unknown, but it certainly can provide a colourful display. seems to me that maybe they started to sleep in your house and the heating has woke them up susie

Sally, Have you got Sycamore trees outside your house because that can cause the problem. Your best bet would be to contact enviromental health they will sort it out for you Yvonne

had one in bathroom the other night

Yvonne, So funny-I live in 'The Sycamores'! Named that cos we have lots of them in the car park--that's why my car always looks grubby! Never thought of trying environmental health--will try them, thanks. Susie, thanks for that--really helpful. I'm going to examine my curtains now...

Yes, I think they must enjoy the warmth. I remember seeing hundreds of them on Stanage Edge in the Peak District just outside Sheffield, at the beginning of the long hot summer of 1976. Their breeding just went berserk that year, presumably because of the unusually dry and warm weather. Philip

Sally Can you please put them in a jar and send them to me immediately - all my plants in my conservatory are infested with woolly aphids and Ive been running around like a lunatic trying to catch a ladybird to eat them. I only managed to catch one, and it took one look at the woolly aphids and flew away. Could you hurry up please, the stephanotis is in peril.... Marjorie

Hi there... Found this ... Hunt on for 'deadly ladybird' The invader (r) is usually very different in colour and pattern to native UK bugs A 'deadly' ladybird which has already caused havoc to native insects in America could be on its way to Northern Ireland. Harmonia axyridis could threaten butterflies, lacewings and many other ladybirds. However, insect expert Dr Keith Day dismissed stories of a voracious bug that bites people. The new ladybird is an Asian species which was introduced into North America 25 years ago to fight aphids. It has spread to Europe and last month was discovered in a pub garden in Sidle Hedingham, Essex. Dr Michael Majerus of Cambridge University said the ladybird, which is also known as harlequin or the multi-coloured ladybug was "without doubt the ladybird I have least wanted to see here. "I knew it was on its way, but I hoped that it wouldn't be so soon. Now many of our ladybirds will be in direct competition with this aggressively invasive species, and some will simply not cope." Harlequin ladybirds can damage soft fruit crops However, Dr Day from the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, told BBC News Online that horticulturalists and gardeners in Northern Ireland should not panic... just yet. "As far as we know, it has not reached Northern Ireland," Dr Day said. He said there was always a potential for this ladybird to spread quite naturally. But it had never flown over to Northern Ireland. The ladybird has been introduced in Holland as a biological control to get rid of sap sucking pests like aphids. This had also happened in the United States. "Most people are against greenfly. If this is a species that is more effective, gardeners and horticulturalists will be generally pleased," Dr Day said. And he added that he was reluctant to accept it would prove a "terrible nuisance", biting people and swarming in their houses, whilst releasing an oily, foul smelling yellow blood when stressed. "All ladybirds nip, but they do not generally get a grip on your skin," Dr Day said. "When they swarm, they move to higher ground. They release chemicals as a protection against predators. They can be a bit of a nuisance," However, he added that this was not of major concern, as long as the existing species was not depleted completely, The adult H. axyridis is about 7mm long, slightly larger than the seven-spot ladybird native to the UK. It comes in a range of colours and patterns. The one found in Essex was black with two very bold red spots and two smaller red spots. But the bugs can also be orange in colour and checked in pattern. H. axyridis is still sold in North America as a pest control. Time to defend The harlequin ladybirds are also still being sold in continental Europe by biocontrol companies. The bug now roams across France, Belgium and Holland, with numbers soaring annually. Harlequins also feed on fruit juices as they fuel up for the winter and fruit-growers are finding that they blemish many soft fruits, reducing the value of the crop. Wineries report the bugs also taint the vintage because of their acrid defensive chemicals. Dr Day said that anyone who finds the insect should send it to him with details of where and when it was found.

Sal You can be one of the first to take part in a wildlife survey. When I picked up my Radio Times for next week, there was a postcard insert asking about earliest sightings of named things. One of them was the ladybird. I think the survey is to establish whether spring comes earlier in some parts of the country. Probably somewhere online will have the survey too.

I had no idea my ladybirds were so valuable--if I had I wouldn't have laid down the ant-traps this morning! Sorry, all you ladybird lovers, but they are impossible to catch and I am getting sick if it. They are very cute when outside--but not in my kitchen thank you!