14/08/2008

A great new book on ladybirds is now available. 'A year in the lives of British ladybirds' by Michael Majerus, Remy Ware and Christina Majerus costs just £7.50 and is available from The Amateur Entomologists' Society

19/12/2007

First verified records of the harlequin ladybird in N. Ireland and Scotland have recently been received. The Irish specimen arrived with produce from England and the Scottish ladybird appears to have been transported accidentally, also from England. Such mechanisms have undoubtedly led to a faster spread of the species in the UK.

05/11/2007

This is a problem without an easy effective solution. Harlequin ladybirds like to overwinter in or on buildings and can squeeze in through very small gaps around window frames etc. Trying to seal up gaps around windows may help. The ladybirds leave tiny chemical traces that attract others to the same spot, so if you remove ladybirds, cleaning thoroughly where they have been may help.

If you have very large numbers of ladybirds in your house (i.e. hundreds or thousands), your local council pest control department may be able to help. However, we have had one recorder report that she was charged £200 by her council who fumigated her house, with little if any effect on the thousands of harlequins that were cohabiting with her.

There is currently no effective control method that will only target harlequins. However, researchers in Britain and elsewhere are following several avenues to develop methods of controlling harlequin numbers.

04/11/2007

The following North American websites give some ideas for dealing with very large numbers of harlequins in buildings (although some of them are rather impractical)

US Dept Agriculture West Virginia University Michigan State University

31/10/2007

They are likely to be harlequin ladybirds, an alien species that is spreading fast in the UK. Harlequins are active later in the year than most other ladybird species. In autumn they gather in large groups at overwintering sites, which are often in or on buildings. They leave chemical traces that attract others of the same species to that spot. They do not normally breed indoors and should leave buildings in the spring.

There is more information on the Harlequin Ladybird Survey website, including an online recording form to report your sightings.

15/03/2007

A meeting of 35 scientists from 9 European countries took place in Brussels this week. Strategies regarding the harlequin ladybird, including identification of gaps and overlaps in current research, were discussed. It was agreed that a proposal will be submitted to IOBC (International Organisation for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants). This will be led by Helen Roy and Dirk Babendreier. A proposal to the EU to fund a European project will also be made, coordinated by Marc Kenis. Both proposals will include other invasive insects.

Participants and other interested parties may download a presentation (in PDF file format) by Michael Majerus made at the Brussels meeting. Download the presentation.

10/11/2006

BBC1 visited Monks Wood in Cambridgeshire this week to find out about the harlequin ladybird and film the ladybird survey team. This was featured on the BBC1 10 O'clock News, BBC News 24 and Newsround. A video clip can be viewed at BBC News

BBC News reporter Tom Heap (left) filming at Monks Wood with some of the ladybird survey team

24/03/2006

If the idea of looking for ladybirds at a site of your choice (in good weather!) sounds good, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for ladybird surveys to be done 6 to 8 times per year at sites all over the UK. Please email ladybird-survey@ceh.ac.uk for further information. The surveys will provide extremely valuable data that can be used to help conserve our native ladybirds