Good ladybird/bad ladybird?

[HeyWayne]

Saw this little chap in my garden yesterday sat on the bin cupboards.

Now, is he a good ladybird ie: native? Or bad (immigrant)?

[Flummery]

He looks like a harlequin ladybird to me - these are the Alien Invaders. There are lots around here - especially on walnut trees for some reason. I don't know what you are supposed to do about them.

[kernowyon]

looks like a nasty harlequin to me too. we have loads down here. for a bit more info there is a link on this website.



http://www.ladybird-survey.org/

[scared55]

looks like a nasty harlequin to me too. we have loads down here. for a bit more info there is a link on this website.



http://http://www.ladybird-survey.org/

You might want to change that link to http://www.ladybird-survey.org/

KK

[Nicos]

As I understand- you can't tell the goodies from the baddies just from their markings.
It's to do with their size.
If in doubt- leave it alone.

[kernowyon]

this link gives ID information and some piccies

http://www.harlequin-survey.org/reco...istinction.htm

hope i've posted the link right this time

[Two_Sheds]

It could be a Harlequin, or it could be a friendly 24-spot ladybird. You probably need to search a bit harder than I did on the Net...

[Alice]

I think we just have to accept the world changes. Maybe we've got different ladybirds. Maybe we've got different butterflies. Maybe we've got different birds. Maybe we've got different people. They're different. That doesn't make them inherently bad. There's always an upside and a downside. Look for the upside. Maybe those new ladybirds are doing some good.

[kernowyon]

I think we just have to accept the world changes. Maybe we've got different ladybirds. Maybe we've got different butterflies. Maybe we've got different birds. Maybe we've got different people. They're different. That doesn't make them inherently bad. There's always an upside and a downside. Look for the upside. Maybe those new ladybirds are doing some good.

Some info from the previously mentioned website

Why should we be concerned about the arrival of the harlequin ladybird?

Threat to wildlife -
Harlequin ladybirds can seriously affect native ladybird species

Harlequin ladybirds are very effective aphid predators and have a wider food range and habitat than most other aphid predators (such as the 7-spot ladybird) and so easily out-compete them.

Harlequin ladybirds do not have a requirement for a dormant period before they can reproduce, as some ladybirds have (e.g. 7-spot and eyed ladybirds), and so have a longer reproductive period than most other species. In 2004 in London, harlequin ladybird larvae were found still feeding in late October, long after all the native species had sought overwintering sites.

When aphids are scarce, harlequin ladybirds consume other prey including ladybird eggs, larvae and pupae, butterfly and moth eggs and caterpillars.

Harlequin ladybirds can disperse rapidly over long distances and so have the potential for rapid geographic expansion.

Problem to humans -
Harlequin ladybirds have a tendency to aggregate in buildings in large numbers during autumn and winter.

Many people find harlequin ladybirds a nuisance in the house, and do not wish to share their home with a few tens of thousands of harlequins

As a defence mechanism many ladybird species exude a yellow fluid (called reflex blood) which has an unpleasant acrid smell, and which can stain soft furnishings

When hungry, harlequin ladybirds will bite humans in their search for something edible. Ladybirds in houses, woken from dormancy by central heating, may bite people as there is no food available. The bites usually produce a small bump and sting slightly. There are a few documented cases of people having a severe allergic reaction to harlequin ladybirds.

Harlequin ladybirds damage soft fruit

In late summer, when harlequin ladybirds are feeding up for the winter, they will seek ripe fruit and suck the juice from it to gain sugar. They thereby cause blemishes on late summer ripening fruits, such as pears, and reduce the value of the crop.
Harlequin ladybirds are also particularly fond of grapes, and wineries are finding large numbers in the grape harvest. These are difficult to separate from the grapes before pressing, and the defensive chemicals (reflex blood) produced by the ladybirds taint the wine.


ANY introduced species, either accidental or deliberate, is a pest when it competes against native flora and fauna at the detrement of the native species. I for one would hate to see yet another british species struggle and possibly be wiped out from our shores by an invader, they may look pretty but then what was wrong with our native ladybirds?