Are Ladybirds thick or lazy ?

[Jimmy]

Seen quite a few Ladybirds of late ( Preston Lancs ).
But they don't seem very active.
I usually pick them up and pop them on a rose leaf with aphids.
They start to climb down and then meet the aphids.
Yummy, they then get the idea and start munching away.

Don't they know how to find them.

Jimmy.

[Nicos]

No idea Jimmy- but it looks like you have a job for life there!

[Bill HH]

I think their activity is governed my temperature, you may find they perk up as it gets warmer.

[Dorothy rouse]

We have loads of Ladybirds already, hope they don't get out of hand, as they did many years ago. For those old like me, I was living in Norfolk then, and there were swarms of them, not nice.

But at the moment just seem to have a lot, hope they'll just be happy munching on the aphids and black fly.

Usually they are a good thing, aren't they?

[WPG]

Loads of ladybirds here too, most of them the 7 spot variety (I've been keeping an eye out for the invasive harlequins but haven't seen any)

Dorothy, I think the prediction is that lots of ladybirds in spring means a good harvest later in the year.... time will tell.

[Bal]

Hi I love ladybirds but do remember when we had the invasion, I got bitten by them, though nobody believed me. What do the harlequins look like, and what should I do if I see one?

[WPG]

There seem to be a few varieties of the harlequin, the two most common are shown on this link
http://www.ladybird-survey.org/downl...2006_v.1.3.pdf

and a few details about them here Harlequin Ladybird Survey - home

If you see one, you could contact the survey (above) - they seem to have spread more in England, not so many reported in Scotland or Ireland.

[AllInContainers]

Hi I love ladybirds but do remember when we had the invasion, I got bitten by them, though nobody believed me. What do the harlequins look like, and what should I do if I see one?

1) They have tattoos, pierced wing covers and wear hoodies
2) RUN!!! (They'll mug you and nick your Chocolate Hob Nobs)

OK, I confess. Until right now I'd never even heard of them before

[greenishfing]

The ladybirds on my allotment seem to have other things than eating on their mind at the moment. It's spring and their thoughts seem to have turned to love. I keep finding them climbing on top of each other,

[Shadylane]

Oh no, not ladybird porn already

[greenishfing]

Yes Sorry.



Hopefully they will work up an appetite.

[Bill HH]

So what is the down side to the harlequin lady birds? dont they eat the aphids too?

[Ja9]

We have loads of Ladybirds already, hope they don't get out of hand, as they did many years ago. For those old like me, I was living in Norfolk then, and there were swarms of them, not nice.

But at the moment just seem to have a lot, hope they'll just be happy munching on the aphids and black fly.

Usually they are a good thing, aren't they?

I remember that too...I was very, very young! We collected them from the trees.Sure they bit us?!

[WPG]

So what is the down side to the harlequin lady birds? dont they eat the aphids too?

Yes, they're a non-native species which were initially used as a biological control because they eat so many aphids. But they've since been found to also eat the larvae of native ladybirds and butterflies, so damaging biodiversity.

[Veggielot]

Only seen one so far this year, maybe the don't like Lancashire