Harlequin Ladybird – latin name: Harmonia axyridis
Gardeners are asked to record sitings of the harlequin ladybird on the
harlequin survey website at http://www.harlequin-survey.org/
The harlequin ladybird was first seen in the UK in 2004, and is
spreading over the whole country. The worry is that it is bigger and
more vigorous than our native ladybirds. The harlequin is a bit of a
bully, stealing the food of the native ladybirds & sometimes actually
eating the ladybirds themselves.
Scientists are tracking the movements of the harlequins to see if
anything can be done to save the native population.
Harlequin ladybirds feed mostly 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.
The problem is that they are much more vigorous than our native
ladybirds, and are likely to take over their food sources, so that our
native species die out. A website has been set up to track the
movements of the harlequins, inorder to give the scientists more
information. In March 2007 the most southerly harlequin was found in the
Channel Islands on Jersey, whilst the most northerly was seen in county
Durham. The spread of the species continues at a rapid pace.
Harlequins are variable in appearance – which makes identification more
difficult!
* Size and shape: large (7-8 mm ), round
* Most common forms in UK : orange with 15-21 black spots: black
with two or four orange or red spots
* wing case has wide keel at base
* legs almost always brown
The scientists ask for all sitings to be reported to the harlequin
survey website <http://www.harlequin-survey.org/>
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