The ladybirds have arrived!

[kentvegplot]

Not strictly wildlife gardening I know, but each year at about this time, dozens of ladybrids arrive and make their way through the gaps around our doors to find places to hibernate. They cluster around the west door and window, and our main south-facing door. It's not ideal - the house will get too warm once the heating is on, but originally this was a chapel and therefore presumably cool but with enough protection for the winter.....which begs a question - do ladybirds have some kind of 'race memory' which brings them to us each year??

I'll post a pic when I find the camera

[chris]

I saw a few of them in the beetle stage (or whatever it is, before they have the wings/outer casings). Never seen them before, was just about to squish them thinking they were raspberry beetle or something but thought I'd check first!

Haven't seen any fully developed ladybirds though!

[SarzWix]

That's interesting KVP! I wonder if they do?

UK Ladybird Survey - Research Some of those peeps might know the answer? Or be interested in hearing about your regular visitors

[scarey55]

How wonderful! I have seen a couple but nothing like dozens. I think that the gaps around your doors must be the perfect place to sit out the winter.
Perhaps the word gets about in ladybirdeeze that your place is perfect for hibernation

[denise]

baby ones are ugly bruts, I think lots of them get squashed, they do like bad guys.

[lindyloo]

i have been slowly removing a half of a tree, which i am taking away by the boot full everyday, and my car is totally plastered with ladybirds, since i started. yesterday one attacked my when i was driving, and scared me to death! ( i think it was his scratchy wings on my neck that did it)

[chris]

Probably protesting at the move

[Nicos]

I thought the ones in large groups were the invasive Harlequin - and so....not good news...????

[country chic]

they like to gather around the rims of my greenhouse door.

[buzzingtalk]

I foun a very strange ladybird on my lemongrass plant a minute ago - it was black with red dots? Strange as I have never seen one of these before! Very beautiful thing.

[Nordmead]

I foun a very strange ladybird on my lemongrass plant a minute ago - it was black with red dots? Strange as I have never seen one of these before! Very beautiful thing.

if it looked like any of these it was probably a harlequin

[wellie]

Every year, at my Mrs. Hyphen'Hyphen Client, she has tonnes and tonnes of annoying flies settle 'on the top floor', and, so do we at The Funny Farm, and in amongst them, every year, are clusters of Ladybirds, hibernating, but not surviving to see The Spring at all, and so actually, I do wonder why they bother.....?

[SueA]

Here's a link to a sheet showing the most common ladybirds in the U.K. we tend to get the 2 spot red & black versions, the common red with 7 spots & occasionally the yellow with black spots. Haven't seen many again this year though, only about 3 or 4 I think.
Probably some of those you've seen hibernating do make it Wellie depending on the weather etc., it must be worth it for them as a whole if not individually.
http://www.ladybird-survey.org/downl...2006_v.1.3.pdf

[wellie]

Wow! Thank you SueA.X
The flies have just started trying to 'muscle in' into the window frames now on the sunny side of the houses, and I've also noticed now bigger clusters of Ladybirds huggling togevver in the crevices, so I'm much better informed, thanks to you.

[SueA]

Glad to be of help Wellie, I like to take part in the ladybird survey as well as the butterfly survey, moth survey, bird survey, frog survey.....
The only place I've ever noticed any hibernating here though is in crevices in the rotting fence posts, they totally ignore the pretty ladybird house I bought them!