Harlequin Beetle Invasion

[MarkPelican]

Has anybody else had an invasion of Harlequin Beetles today? I know that another name for them is Halloween beetles because they swarm at this time of year to find somewhere to hibernate but I've never seen so many.

Here's a photo and the whole side of the house was like it.

[veggiechicken]

Is it the beetle or the ladybird? I can't tell from the photo.

[MarkPelican]

They're the beetle, all sorts of different patterns not the consistent patterns of ladybirds.

[Greenleaves]

Confussed of Hampshire......I thought they were Harlequin ladybirds, a cousin of our two spot ladybirds?

[Bigmallly]

Alien ladybirds riddled with STDs have invaded Britain and could kill off native bugs - Mirror Online

[Scarlet]

A friend had exactly that on Tuesday afternoon Mark. She thought they were ladybirds looking to hibernate and she hoovered them up.

[cptncrackoff]

Absolutely thousands at work!
Not that many at home, near the coast.

[veggiechicken]

BBC Nature - Harlequin ladybird videos, news and facts

[MarkPelican]

OK, I §guess they're called Harlequin Ladybirds although I thought when they first came, they were called Harlequin Beetles because they were only distantly related to our native species and that there was a proposal that we should try and eradicate them. (Not that that was possible).

They seem to be coming mainly from the woodland out the back of my garden.

[veggiechicken]

Harlequin beetles are very different https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_beetle

Whoever thought of using these harlequin ladybirds as a biological control got it seriously wrong.

[MarkPelican]

If my memory serves me right, they didn't expect them to survive. They introduced a small population which shouldn't have been genetically viable but they overcame the problem and now they only need a small population to survive and breed.

[Martin H]

If my memory serves me right, they didn't expect them to survive. They introduced a small population which shouldn't have been genetically viable but they overcame the problem and now they only need a small population to survive and breed.

It's just like Jurassic Park!

[Mr Bones]

Plenty of them on the lotty yesterday, in fact we no longer see many native ladybirds. Have watched harlequins at times eating other ladybirds as they pupate.

[Guest]

I have lots in the patch. Didn't realise till now the black ones are harlequins as well

[cptncrackoff]

Yes, I too am talking about harlequin ladybirds, they're everywhere!!
..I've never come across a harlequin beetle as per the link!