The harlequin ladybird comes in different colour schemes and is larger than native species.
NATURE NOTESNO doubt you will have seen the items on BBC Autumnwatch and other programmes (even The One Show got in on the act) about harlequin ladybirds. Probably lots of you have come across them in the last few weeks as there have been reports of large gatherings in the West Wight in all sorts of unlikely, and possibly unsuitable, places.
I have heard reports of ladybirds creeping into light fittings and window frames in their hundreds.
Harlequin ladybirds are a relatively recent addition to the British fauna, having originally been introduced (from Asia) for pest control purposes.
Like many ideas that seem good at the time, this one has had its backlash. Harlequin ladybirds feed most commonly on aphids, but have a wide food range, also feeding on scale insects, the eggs and larvae of butterflies and moths, many other small insects, including other ladybirds, pollen, nectar and sugary fluids, including honeydew and the juice from ripe fruits.
A few years ago there was an influx of harlequins onto the Island along the south coast and particularly round Ventnor. Now, as is evident from recent reports, they are rapidly spreading all over the island, never mind the 'North Island’.
Like all ladybirds, the harlequin ladybird undergoes complete metamorphosis and as such has an egg, larval, pupal and adult stage.
Pre-adult development takes about 14 to 20 days at 25C and adults can begin to lay eggs after five days. A single female can lay over a thousand eggs.
Now, although I am sure you could recognise the larval or pupal stage of a butterfly or a moth, and possibly even confidently identify a caddis-fly larva or a leather-jacket (the larval stage of a crane-fly or daddy-long-legs) I wonder if you would know the larval stage of a ladybird if you saw it? Although you may well be familiar with the wonderful colour and spotty range of adult (or imago) ladybirds, I would lay money on you not having a clue what a larval ladybird looks like.
Well, wonder no more, because here is a photograph of one, (it is a harlequin larva, so a bit larger than a native ladybird one) and I am sure you will agree it is a most terrifying spectacle; particularly if you are an unsuspecting aphid.
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| The harlequin ladybird larva. |
There are 46 species of ladybird (Coccinellidae) resident in Britain and the recent arrival of the harlequin has the potential to jeopardise many of these. The Harlequin Ladybird Survey, run by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, will monitor its spread across Britain and assess its impact on native ladybirds.
Most harlequin ladybirds that have been found in Britain fall into one of three categories: orange with between 15 and 20 black spots; black with two orange or red spots; black with four orange or red black spots. The seven-spot is always reddish with seven black spots. They will all be about 7-8mm (¼ inch) in length, considerably bigger than your average ladybird.
To send in a ladybird record via a mobile phone, recorders can text the word LADYBIRD to 83040 in order to receive a link that will allow them to upload photos and data. Standard network rates apply.
And some good news too: the survey is being sponsored by dear old Woolworths, which has launched a new on-line trading arm to save the children’s clothes label for which they are famous – Ladybird.
For more information about ladybirds in general and a handy spotters pack visit www.woolieshq.co.uk/garden or for more detailed information visit the UK Ladybird Survey website at www.ladybirdsurvey.org/default.aspx.