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It's a funny old life...

Sid

By Sid

35 comments


It’s a funny old life. Take today for example. When I got up this morning, I had no idea that I would return home from work carrying a sandwich box full of ladybirds.

“Why was your sandwich box full of ladybirds?" I hear you cry in unison.

Said sandwich box started out the day, much like myself, quite normally, full of left-over quish. (That is the sandwich box was full of quish; I was full of porridge). Dare say my sandwich box hadn’t quite expected this turn of events either.

I had better start from the beginning. The firm I’m working for at the moment is having a spot of interior decorating done. The decorators have slowly been moving along the corridor, doing out one room at a time.

I had noticed a while back that there were little huddles of ladybirds hibernating in the nooks and crannies of the big old sash windows. The lady who usually occupies this office must like things pretty cool in there; the first thing I did when I got in this morning was turn the heater on full wack. And this is when the trouble began…

As the room began to warm up, the ladybirds began to wake up. Before very long, there were ladybirds crawling up the walls, into the files, over the computer and generally getting up my nose (not literally you understand, but it was getting that way).

Frankly, the Ladybirds were beginning to drive me dotty.

And the decorators were getting ever-closer to doing this room – and what would happen to my little flying dominos then?

Having scoffed my slice of quish, the answer came to me. I would herd the ladybirds into my sandwich box and take them home. I would release them into the greenhouse – a spot of biological control if you like.

Observation: Herding ladybirds is a bit like herding cats.

Once I’d correlled 20-odd ladybirds in my sandwich box and got the lid on, I had a chance to properly examin my captives. And something was not quite right with the wee dotty beasties…..see if you can spot the difference:-






Observant GoYers will notice that these critters appear, in fact, to be the maligned harliquin ladybirds. So what am I meant to do now I ask you? Can’t very well release them…..too soft to kill them…..what am I to do now?! ‘spose I’ll just have to take them back and release them where I found them?!

Going to send them pictures to the harliquin ladybird research folks..www.harlequin-survey.org…for ID…will let you know the verdict…….


I have now received the reply from the Ladybird survey people:-

Dear Sarah

Thank you very much for submitting your ladybird record and photo(s). We can confirm that your record is of the Harlequin Ladybird. This is a valuable record for our survey.

For a distribution map of harlequin ladybird sightings and for further information, please see www.harlequin-survey.org and for information about native ladybird species, please see www.ladybird-survey.org

We welcome records of any ladybird species, ideally logged online at the websites above.

If you would like to download a colour ladybird identification sheet, please click on the link at this website page:
www.ladybird-survey.org/UKladybirds/UKladybirds.htm

Thanks again and best wishes,

UK Ladybird Survey team.

Biological Records Centre
CEH Wallingford
Maclean Building
Benson Lane
Crowmarsh Gifford
Wallingford
OX10 8BB

University of Cambridge
219d Huntingdon Road
Cambridge
CB3 0DL

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Comments

 

Thank goodness you hadn`t already released them into your greenhouse ........

4 Mar, 2010

 

The funny thing is you have a mix of good Ladybird and the dreaded
Harlequin. You can see in 2 of your pics. the Harlequins crowding the
good Ladybird. In pic. 2,3 and 4 you can see the Good Ladybirds.
The Harlequins are killing all the good ladybird population and are now taking over.........Bad news : o(((
You are in a bit of a Predicament about what to do with them, lets hope
you get an answer Sid..........: o)))

4 Mar, 2010

 

The technical term for what you have there is: (and I quote!) A bit of a bugger! Lol

5 Mar, 2010

 

oh dear..what to do with them....glad its u not me...

5 Mar, 2010

 

Oh dear ( a quiet lol so that no one can hear ) I wonder if you are going to try and separate the good ones from the others.
I haven't seen a ladybird for years, but I don't want to see the harlequin ones.

5 Mar, 2010

 

That's not good news Sid....I would get rid of them, pick the good ones out for your greenhouse then destroy the others.......they themselves will destroy our Ladybird population...soon be spring then they'll be breeding...:o(

5 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Ian pretty well sums it up lol

Freesia - yes, there are about 3 of our native 2-spots in there with them. I will have to try and rescue those. I think they're safe altogether at the moment as they are hibernating and are pretty sleepy and not feeding. When I was reading about harlequins yesterday I did read that they do seem to co-exist quite happily a lot of the time....I think the gist of it is that they turn cannabalistic when there is insufficient alternative food available....

Hywel - oh dear, I didn't read your comment all the way to the bottom and I've put a dozon ladybirds in the post to you! he he he....

Janey.....ohh.....ooo....errrr.....not sure I can do that.... <:-(

My prisoners are currently at home, still captive in their...u'hum! MY sandwich box. I do hope they don't stage a breakout while I'm away....

5 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Freesia - in fact the only pics that show native ladybirds are 1 & 3...I think the ones you are looking at look like our native 7-spot ladybird, but they have more than 7 spots on them if you look closely....I *think* I'm right, but hopefully the Survey folks will confirm.

5 Mar, 2010

amy
Amy
 

Wow Sid , I've got my book out here on my desk , it's very difficult to tell , the dark ones look like .. 2- spot ladybird dark form ..... I wondered if the others were called Eyed ladybirds which can have as many as 18 spots .. each spot is edged with a narrow ring of white or pale yellow ... can you see that on your ? I can't on the photos .....

5 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Hi Amy, yes some of them do look like the black-background 2-spots, but they are quite a bit bigger. If you look at picture 3 you can see right in the centre a black-background 2-spot next to one of the giants!

I've just been in to see the accountant and she's being plagued by ladybirds today!! lol Not to mention the fact that I've got another TEN crawling around on my window!!

5 Mar, 2010

amy
Amy
 

Gosh yes that is big in comparison , it says here that if it's less than 5mm ( 1/5th inch ) it is definitley not a Harlequin ladybird , yours do look over 5mm .. It sounds funny that you have so many crawling around the offices .. but it isn't if you have a bad lot in there mixed with the good guys .. .
I'll be very interested as to the outcome ...

5 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Yes, I'd say they're at least 5 mm long.....Monsters!

5 Mar, 2010

 

Interesting, Sarah. I've just read an article that says that Harlequin ladybirds are getting a bad name when they are actually not as bad as first thought. They eat aphids! I'll have to re-read it, and see if they are monsters or not - but I think not, as far as I recall.

5 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

I think it depends on your perspective Barbara. From a gardening point of view, ANY ladybirds or their larva are good news. But....from a nature conservation point of view some articles say that the Harlequins threaten to wipe out our native species. On the other hand, I did read somewhere that they are often seen cohabiting, which they were in this case - all species huddled together in the window frame for protection. If I get home and the 3 or 4 natives that were in my sandwich box with the Foreigners are now missing, I think we can safely say that they're bad news if you're a 2-spot ladybird!! I'll probably find the British ones huddled together in the corner griping about how all these Foreigners are coming over 'ere, 'aving their big families, nicking their greenfly, not knowing how to cue...... LOL

5 Mar, 2010

 

Sid, I'm so sorry but I've laughed with tears running down my face. Very silly to sit here alone, laughing like this but I can't help it after reading your last comments.

I too have googled and seen conflicting reports on the H ladybirds. I find it very difficult to kill anything and we have a long history of living alongside ladybirds. I can remember collecting them as children (just as you have in your lunchbox!) and then letting them free at the end of the day. Some say H ladybirds bite and cause an allergic reaction. Do you feel like being a guinea pig and testing that out :)

5 Mar, 2010

 

i was taking some dead foilage away other day when i spotted some ladybirds in the hollow of dead plants, so i carefully placed all the dead foilage back again as not to disturb them, will leave the removing of dead foilage till the last frost has gone i think just to be sure, im like you and couldnt kill them, just let them go away from your area :o)

5 Mar, 2010

 

I have been bitten by a ladybird. They have strong jaws and I did swell like an ant bite.
I understand it is the concern that they are out competeing our native ones for food and therefore breed better.

5 Mar, 2010

 

I still say our Ladybirds are in pictures 2,3,and 4 Sid.....i do not think
they will be in there much longer, we will have to wait and see.
How long can you keep them in that container, without harming them?
I have found some of these Harlequins
in my Garden, i put them on my Compost
heap at the very back of the Garden on my Wildlife Plot. I cannot bear to kill or destroy any insect or creature. Interested to find out how you get on
with your little critters.........do you keep them together or Separate
them.........shall we vote on it Goyers!!! What do you think Sid? LOL

6 Mar, 2010

 

I get so confused by these arguments: our environment is changing and as a result some of our animals arent doing so well. Should we accept the inevitable and welcome the newbies or fight for the old ones that are no longer well adapted? I think in the case of insects its almost impossible to get rid of a new species without haphazardly killing off related species. So unless there is something really awful about them (eg Colorado beetles, mosquitoes) we might just have to put up with them. Not ideal but then what is? I would just let them go and agree with Freesiaperson that a compost heap is a good place.

Seaburngirl how did you get bitten - are they like bees and not aggressive or more like horseflies?

6 Mar, 2010

 

The Harlequin ladybirds are supposed to have an "M" shape design just above their heads, and apparently are quite aggressive and bigger than our native ones. I too don't like killing any insect or creature, but if ours are at risk from them then I would do. You could say...what about the aphids or slugs....if our plants are being eaten alive...would we wait for Ladybirds to find them or get the soap spray out???? Surely our own Ladybirds need our support in their time of need?

Just had a look on the internet Sid, where it says that along with a diet of aphids the Harlequin or Asian Ladybird eats the larva of the British Ladybird and the eggs of our butterflies and moths.....

6 Mar, 2010

 

I looked these Harlequin Ladybirds up on Google. How scary they sound
Janey. I read some facts about them, 1 was they are getting into
houses now, once they are in, they are terrible to get rid of. they seem
to like the heat, which makes them breed a lot more. And, believe it
or not they do bite, especially when they are Hungry their bite is quite
aggresive. There is something awful about them Sussexsarah i did not
know this much until i looked up Google.............just take a look.

7 Mar, 2010

 

There is a lot of controversy about them Fp isn't there.......:o(

7 Mar, 2010

 

Janey, i wonder what Sid is using now for his sandwiches, thats if his
sandwich box is still occupied? I wonder.......LOL

7 Mar, 2010

 

OMG Just give me a Harlequin butty...light on the mayo ! Lol

9 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Just a quick update - I have not heard back from the Ladybird people, which is dissappointing. I took the ladybirds back to near where I found them and released them into a thick shrubbery where they should be fine I think.

Gee - glad to have given you a giggle. I didn't get bitten by the ladybirds, but I think they might be like fish, in that they don't try to feed if they're below a certain temperature. If they were warmer, perhaps they would have bitten? God 'elp us if they learn to knitt tiny jumpers!!!!! x-D

Sbg - wasn't wearing a jumper was it?

S-Sarah - yes, you make a good point. I think any way we look at it, the Harlequins are here to stay.

Janey - oh dear that doesnt sound good.... Some of mine had the M shape, but some didn't, but they were still clearly Harlequins coz of their unusual markings.

Freesia - they were fine. I eventually released the 2-spots into my ghouse (only the next day to find one of them stuck to one of the sticky traps I'd put up to trap algae flies). Luckily, I have a spare lunchbox he he...oh and by the way, it's Her lunchbox, not His LOL

Bb - perhaps the Harlequins are the answer to world hunger?!

20 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Just an update - I've now received a reply from the Ladybird survey people and I've inserted it above for your information. Doesn't really tell me much, except that my ladybirds were indeed Harlequins.....

25 Mar, 2010

amy
Amy
 

Thanks for the info Sid . at least you now know that you were right , I am going to look at their site and probably print off a colour chart for my grandchildren it will be something for them to look out for .... :o))

25 Mar, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Good idea Amy :-)

25 Mar, 2010

 

i think new species is a sign of the times realy.its nothing new as the world has and is always changing .if it hadnt we could well be still living in trea tops and you would see t rex quite often.nothing stays the same .i remember a green fly eppidemic in the 70`s or 80`s and there were apserlutley millions everywear you looked.this in turn made a lady bug explosion of our natives .believe me when they ran out of green fly we including me were next on there food list .just the nature of the beast . things like this happen with our help ie the cane toad in australia or without it ie dinosaurs no longer ruling the earth for 50 million years so in the big picture whats the point in squashing them realy.good luck with your lunch box take care bye for now sid lol xx.

26 Apr, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Yeah, I suppose it's a bit like standing on the beach and telling the tide not to come in... I must admit, I have not seen any harlequins in my garden as yet. I did see 2 native 7-spots tho.

26 Apr, 2010

 

as dorris day sang what will be will be . i cant spell kay serar srerar lol xx

26 Apr, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

And Whip-crack-away-whip-crack-away-whip-crack-AWAYYYYYY....

Well that's the one I think of anyway ;-)

27 Apr, 2010

 

lol xx

27 Apr, 2010

 

Great blog. I never knew so much about Ladybugs as the American call them.
I have found the ones without spots which I belive to be the femae ladybug or ladybird & the spotted one are the gentbugs as I have named them. Not sure tho. does anyone know?
I really must read up on Ladybirds. Thanks for the link.

Do the Harliquin mate with the natives?

2 May, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Hi Angie - thanks - I'm in the UK and there's a 'big thing' at the moment that Harlequin ladybirds are migrating in from the continent, having originated in Asia. The problem is that they are agressive and when they run out of aphids they will turn cannibal and start chomping their way through our smaller more docile native ladybirds. I don't think Harlequins will have made it to the Americas unless people have brought them. With our natives, we don't usually get ones without spots, but the Harlequins are very variable and they sometimes don't have spots. I don't think it's got anthing to do with gender in their case, but it might be different with your native species. Enjoy your research!

2 May, 2010

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