Ladybird Invasion

This morning I went up to my study, in the roof of the house, to find a plague of ladybirds! I counted at least 50 and there could be many more. They are crawling around the upstairs bathroom, mainly around the window frame. I'm not sure exactly how they are getting into the house, but I know there are loads of gaps and little holes that they could be crawling through. Now, I wouldn't mind if these were native British ladybirds, but I think these are harlequin ladybirds - the most deadly ladybirds known to man!

Harlequin ladybirds invading

From the BBC website, I found out that the harlequin ladybird was introduced to North America in 1988 to fight aphids, where it is now the most widespread ladybird species on the continent. It has already invaded much of northwestern Europe, and arrived in Britain in summer 2004.

The insect has a huge appetite for greenfly, leaving little for native ladybirds who then starve. Worse still, the harlequin will turn on other ladybirds if food resources diminish for the whole population. The invader will also prey on other types of insects, eating butterfly eggs, caterpillars and lacewing larvae.

You have been warned!