Latest news with #ladybird
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Huge swarm of LADYBIRDS hits the UK: Terrified Brits are forced to hide in their cars as thousands of beetles descend on towns and cities - in largest sighting since 1976
Britons have been forced to take shelter in their cars as thousands of ladybirds descend on towns and cities across the country. In seaside resorts like Weston-Super-Mare, beachgoers faced a 'ladybird apocalypse' as 'millions' of the insects covered every available surface. On Thursday, a sudden swarm of beetles even brought about a temporary pause in play at the Lord's test match against India. Experts say this is the largest sighting since the famous 'ladybird invasion' of 1976. Scientists say that these sudden swarms are due to the recent spell of hot weather, just like the exceptionally hot summer of 1976. On TikTok, several users have shared videos of ladybird swarms descending on UK towns. In one viral clip, a woman is covered in the swarming bugs as the caption reads: 'Take this as your sign not to go to the beach today.' Other posts show ladybirds crawling in their hundreds over prams, cars, umbrellas and even people's food. @benwalters746 Help 😂😂😂 we used to love playing with ladybirds when we was at school #foru #foryoupage❤️❤️ #holiday #amazing #ladybird #infestation #stothys #essex #seaside ♬ Jump Little Ladybird - Mini Vibes Professor Stuart Reynolds, an insect biologist from the University of Bath, told MailOnline: 'Ecology is complicated and this is a multi-factor problem, but it's for sure that the recent hot, dry weather has something to do with it. 'My suggestion is that favourable weather conditions over the last few months have led to a boom in aphid numbers on crop land and woodland. 'Ladybirds eat aphids, so this has led to a consequent boom in ladybirds.' Although the sightings might seem alarming, Professor Reynolds claims there is 'absolutely nothing to worry about.' Professor Reynolds says: 'It's happened before and will happen again. Boom and bust cycles are common in nature. 'Ladybirds may give you just a little nip sometimes - just to check whether you are edible or maybe because your skin is a bit salty - but they won't do any damage. 'It's not a plague! Ladybirds are lovely and we should celebrate them! Everyone loves a ladybird!' Over the last few weeks, Britain's weather has been exceptionally warm, with temperatures peaking at 34.7°C (94.5°F) last Friday. Do ladybirds bite? Ladybirds can and do bite humans when they are swarming. However, they do not have any venom, and their bites are perfectly harmless. At most, these bites will feel like a small pinch and produce very minor irritation. Bites are also rare and generally not due to aggression. Experts say that ladybirds will only 'nip' you to see if you are edible when they are hungry or if your skin tastes particularly salty. Like all insects, ladybirds and aphids speed up their life cycles during the warm weather, which means more insects are born. However, the recent heatwaves have been so hot and dry that both vegetation and aphids have started to die off. 'The last few weeks have been unfavourable to aphids, so that the poor ladybirds now have nothing to eat,' says Professor Reynolds. 'This leads them to fly off looking for grub elsewhere.' In addition to food, the ladybirds are also coming together to find mates, which leads to even larger local swarms. Although it might seem like it on social media, the insects probably aren't deliberately making their way to the beach. Professor Reynolds says that there are probably swarms 'all over the place', but they just happen to be more obvious in busy seaside towns like Weston-Super-Mare. Despite their alarming appearance, the experts say that we should welcome the swarms with open arms. Seeing so many ladybirds is a particularly good sign since they are a key predator as well as being a food source for larger animals like birds. Professor Tim Coulson, science author and biologist at the University of Oxford, told MailOnline: 'Predators, like ladybirds, are incredibly important components of ecosystems. Take away predators, and all hell breaks loose. 'We should cherish our ladybirds! Definitely do not kill the ladybirds as they keep the numbers of pest species down. Much better to have ladybirds than to spray crops with insecticides to kill the aphids.' Likewise, Professor Helen Roy, one of the world's leading ladybird experts from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, told MailOnline: 'Ladybirds are much-loved insects. So, I hope people can enjoy seeing so many ladybirds and celebrate these incredible insects.' Ladybirds aren't the only insects to have swarmed the UK amid the recent warm weather. Britain has also faced a surge of wasps, an expert has warned. Andrew Dellbridge of Ace Pest Control in Norfolk said the spring sunshine had lured wasps out of hibernation early, giving them more time to grow. And though they'll die off come winter, the head start means this year's nests are already surpassing last year's in size, with months still to go. Now wasps are experiencing a 'population explosion', Mr Dellbridge said, and Britain faces a wave of jumbo nests before winter. He said: 'What I would expect to do in September–October as far as size of nest and multiple wasps within a nest, we're getting now. 'By September–October, the right back end of the season before they all die off, we should be in massive nest territory.'
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Irish Times
Calling all ladybird spotters: help fill in the picture on these charismatic little bugs
Seen a ladybird lately? They're considered to be a sign of good luck. If you spot one, your wish will be granted, or if you are hoping for a proposal, a ladybird landing on your hand means you'll be married within the year. These are charismatic little bugs. With their striking bright red wing cases and symmetrical black dots, it's no wonder they are held in more affection than most others on the planet. In many languages, the ladybird is called 'little cow', and in Irish the insect is called 'Bóín Dé', or God's little cow. This could be because their spots resemble the patterns on some cows, or because they were traditionally seen as a blessing from God for pest control. READ MORE You see, ladybirds are not just gorgeous to look at, they perform some vital and beneficial work too. Most ladybirds are predators, with both adults and larvae feeding on aphids and other pests that damage plants and crops. Harmless to humans, the ladybird is a voracious garden predator, munching through about 5,000 aphids in its year-long life. Aphids and such other pests damage plants and crops. It's no wonder farmers and gardeners love ladybirds as they do such important work. If your dahlias are being devoured by aphids right now and you see a ladybird, make a wish for more ladybirds. A ladybird investigating a buttercup flower. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw By far the most well known of the species in Ireland is the seven-spot ladybird. However, there are 38 species that occur here, according to Ireland's National Biodiversity Data Centre . Some of these are small and unspotted – so perhaps a bit less flamboyant than the ones we readily identify. Quite a bit of data exists on the distribution and status of ladybirds in Northern Ireland thanks to research there, but our knowledge in the Republic is still a bit, well, spotty. That's about to change. The compilation of the national Ladybird Atlas 2025 is under way and with your help, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, in conjunction with the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) is aiming to map all the species here. [ How to make the best of light and shade in your garden Opens in new window ] [ A magical Burren garden that is at one with the wider, wilder world around it Opens in new window ] By doing so, scientists hope to understand where all the ladybirds are, and where they are not. The map will provide a picture of the habitat different species of ladybird prefer too. It's really easy to help – if you see a ladybird, submit your sighting through Ireland's Citizen Science Portal . Here you'll be asked to identify where you saw it – right down to the village or townland, whether it's an adult or a larva, and how many you saw. You can upload a picture too – of the ladybird that is. From Tralee to Thurles, Tallaght to New Twopothouse, citizen scientists have been busy sending in their sightings. People in Athenry, Athy and Ardee have been at it too. Some 1,040 seven-spotted ladybirds have been spotted so far this year. Their reported sightings ramped up from about 95 in May to over 200 of them in June. You might consider going a step farther by developing your ladybird identification skills and becoming a ladybird recorder for your area. Right now, it is an important time for ladybirds – having mated in May, between June to July, females lay their fertilised eggs in bundles on leaves. When the larvae hatch, they feed on aphids until they emerge as fully grown ladybirds. A black ladybird takes off from a flower on the banks of the river Camac in Kilmainham. Photograph: Marc O'Sullivan A ladybird can live in hedgerows, trees and grasslands, so you'll do them a favour by mowing less or allowing a small section of your garden to stay wild. If you must weed, do it manually and don't use pesticides and insecticides. These chemicals can kill, harm, and disorientate insects or poison their food. If you buy plants at a garden centre, ask if they have been treated with chemicals. Even bee-friendly labelled plants may have been treated, harming ladybirds and other insects. It would be a shame not to spot any more of them.
Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Ladybirds swarm across Britain in biggest plague since 1976
The biggest ladybird invasion since the summer of 1976 has been caused by a string of heatwaves. Experts said that the bugs are being seen in 'very high numbers' this year because of the warm weather. It comes after a swarm of the insects disrupted play during the cricket at Lord's on Thursday. The insects distracted players and led to a brief pause in England's contest against India on the first day of the third Rothesay Test. Ollie Pope, the England vice-captain, called it a first in the sport. He said after the match: 'I've never seen that, no. That's a first that the crowd have got that today.' Prof Helen Roy, an ecologist and ladybird expert from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: 'Many species of aphid-feeding ladybird such as the seven-spot ladybird are being seen in very high numbers this year. 'This is a consequence of the high aphid numbers and warm weather. 'People are reporting many sightings to the UK Ladybird Survey through iRecord, which is fantastic. 'If people want to help insects and other wildlife in this weather they can leave shallow dishes with a little water for them. Also, we encourage people to leave the aphids in their garden on roses and other plants so there is plenty of food for ladybirds.' Tim Coulson, professor of zoology and head of biology at the University of Oxford, encouraged people to 'learn to love' ladybirds. He said: 'Warm weather means more aphids because they can complete each generation faster - insects, including ladybirds and aphids, tend to speed up their lives in warm weather. 'Ladybirds eat aphids, and an abundance of aphids mean ladybirds have a lot to eat. 'People should learn to love the ladybirds. They are effective predators of aphids, which can be a major pest of many plant species. 'Much in the way that wolves keep deer numbers in check in some parts of the world, ladybirds keep aphid numbers down. 'A swarm of ladybirds in a cricket game, even against India, should remind people of the role that predators play in keeping the ecology of earth in a healthy state.' Dr Peter Brown, an associate professor in ecology and conservation at Anglia Ruskin University, said the last 'boom year' for ladybirds was during the hot summer of 1976, although there have been years in between when there has been a rise but the locations have been more isolated. He said: 'In 1976 there were a lot of seven-spot ladybirds on the beaches as they searched for food and people thought they were invading – they were not, as they are native to the UK.' Dr Brown, who is an organiser of the UK Ladybird Survey, added that the increase in numbers should be seen as a positive and the current warm conditions were the reason.
