Ladybirds hibernating in hive roof Norfolk

[BrianR]

Found these guys on Thursday afternoon inside an eke when I was taking syrup feeders off and giving the bees fondant patties. A treat to find so many ladybirds holed up for the winter. . Though not needed for feeding a fondant patty, the eke and its spotted inhabitants got put back under the hive roof. Hope they survive!

 

[pargyle]

Fabulous ... It seems to have been a really good year for ladybirds and some other insects in general - never seen so many. I wonder if the lock down and lack of air travel has had an impact on the environment for some of these creatures and whether this year's explosion has been a direct result of far better conditions for them last year as well ?

 

[RJC]

Almost certainly Harlequin ladybirds; a recent colonist and first recorded in Norfolk in 2004.
https://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.or.../terrestrial-invertebrates/harlequin-ladybird

 

[The Poot]

Sadly, the Harlequin are out competing our native ladybirds for food and they eat the natives larvae
Another invasive / non native species.

 

[Finman]

Often in Finland huge swarms of aphids arrive from vast Ukraine's and Russian's grasslands. Then later huge amount of ladybirds emerge from aphif swarms. No need to cry for ladybirds. They have their own up and down life cycles.

 

[The Poot]

Often in Finland huge swarms of aphids arrive from vast Ukraine's and Russian's grasslands. Then later huge amount of ladybirds emerge from aphif swarms. No need to cry for ladybirds. They have their own up and down life cycles.

Not quite the same in the U.K. .....and you can keep the Russian aphids.

 

[Amari]

Found these guys on Thursday afternoon inside an eke when I was taking syrup feeders off and giving the bees fondant patties. View attachment 29271A treat to find so many ladybirds holed up for the winter. . Though not needed for feeding a fondant patty, the eke and its spotted inhabitants got put back under the hive roof. Hope they survive! View attachment 29271

Presumably they got into the eke through the hive entrance and climbed upwards, but how did they get through/past the crown board? Hazardous journey - akin to asylum seekers. Or maybe they hatched from eggs laid in the eke or there are gaps in the woodwork?

 

[Finman]

. Or maybe they hatched from eggs laid in the eke or there are gaps in the woodwork?

When they hatch from eggs, they must then eate a lot aphids on green plants. Larvi are quite quick to walk. After larvi they have pupa stage.

 

[Michael Palmer]

We have the same Lady Beetle here. We call it Multi Colored Lady Beetle. Same Harmonia axiridis. The link above says they arrived in North America in 1988. I saw them clustering under bee hive lids in 1987.