Sweet little things, darling, beautiful. Sitting in the Autumn sunshine. Idyllic, picturesque. The little orange beetle pottered along my windowsill, innocently investigating the carcass of a dead fly, before scuttling on towards the window. I smiled. For some reason, ladybirds had always carried that evocative sense of childhood memories. This was the first time I saw a Harlequin Ladybird.
Yes, naturally my initial reaction to the small, six-legged creature was one of warmth and familiarity. The depiction of ladybirds in children’s literature, not to mention as a general symbol of the beautiful creations of nature. The vibrant red stands out for toddlers, delighting them with the perfectly formed shell, the seven black spots and cute white “eyes”. My upbringing having fostered the same relationship towards these small insects as many other children, I am sure I am not alone in my initial judgement of the orange, sixteen spotted Harlequin Ladybird.
But, having seen the way in which numbers of these little bugs have increased, I began to wonder why they differed so greatly in appearance to the classic children’s storybook illustration. An intriguing story awaited my research.
Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) are an entirely different species to the well-recognised ‘Seven Spot Ladybird’ (Coccinella septempunctata). Introduced in North America as a method for reducing the spread of aphids through local agriculture, these ferocious ‘pesticide’ spread throughout the entire country in years. It did not take long for the species to spread to Europe, after farmers used the same tactic, not thinking about the potential long-term threats of introducing an invasive species.
It did not take long for these ladybirds to reach the UK. And it was here, that their crusade began. Illustrators for children’s books may soon have to choose a different colour, as, just like the decrease of red squirrels, the friendly UK native, Coccinella septempunctata, is on it’s way out. The influx of Harlequin ladybirds has happened so quickly (they are expected to have spread throughout the entire UK in mere decades, while it took grey squirrels over 100 years) that there has been little study until recently of the effects. However, one thing is sure: despite demolishing aphid populations as designed, the invasive species do not stop there, and will happily feast on the eggs of other ladybirds or even butterflies. It is these new Harlequins and their voracious appetite that has caused the decline of our well-loved Seven-Spot.
Invasive species such as Harlequins decrease local biodiversity by killing off native species. Take the example of Japanese Hogweed. Now incredibly wide-spread in the UK, this imposter spreads rapidly, allowing for no other plants to grow nearby. It uses similar methods to the Rhododendron, yet another invasive species whose tendency is to leave the ground where it grows too acidic and shaded for any other plants to grow.
Perhaps next time I see a ladybird on my windowsill, and indeed, this occasion is becoming more and more frequent, I will think twice about the motives of this invader.
Til next time,
Stay Hydrated.
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