Ladybirds are probably the only beetle most people will happily handle. Worldwide there are 3000 species, but only 44 recorded in Britain. This weekend I have been delighted to see swarms of ladybirds in the garden. The walls of the bungalow were decorated with hundreds of these tiny beetles, which I have been recording. So far I have found 22 varieties. Since there is such diversity I suspect they interbreed very successfully. When attacked they exude a foul tasting fluid, which puts birds off.
Many years ago they were used as folk remedies for colic, toothache and measles. Also there is that well-known ladybird nursery rhyme.
They are a valuable asset to our gardens due to their voracious appetite for many garden pests: aphids, scale insects, mealy bugs, mites and thunder-bugs. They have also been known to feed on each other.
I fear many ladybirds are killed at their larval stage simply because people don’t recognise them, which is a great pity.
The variety in these little creatures is astounding, ranging from no spots to more than twenty, although black on red is the most common, there are also: black on yellow, black on orange, black on brown, even two-tone brown, red on black, and would you believe even black with red spots with a black spot on each of the red spots.
Now I am hopeful that as the weather cools I shall find a large cluster of these delightful beetles sheltering somewhere in the garden, probably in the woodpile, and I will look forward to the good work they will do for me next spring and summer.
