What have you had under your roof?

[Erichalfbee]

Or because when in the old days people in peasant huts slept on straw on the floor, sometimes earwigs crept into their ears.

I’ve slept on straw a few times and seem to have escaped that hazard.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’ve slept on straw a few times and seem to have escaped that hazard.

never heard of it happen - an old wive's tale based on the incorrect assumption due to their name

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I actually had an earwig open its wings when I last lifted a hive roof to find one sheltering - and yes, the wing did resemble a human ear

 

[robinharman]

Every other hive seems to have a number of ladybirds, or coccinelles as my french nieces call them

 

[Newbeeneil]

I did wonder if the were Harlequins but my app couldn’t identify the species!

 

[W0otz]

I keep finding ladybird larvae at varying stages of metamorphosis under my hive roof, even at this time of year. I assume it's somewhere safe, warm and dry for them to hide while they transform.

 

[Swarm]

I did wonder if the were Harlequins but my app couldn’t identify the species!

Too many spots for native.

 

[user 819]

From first looks there appears to be 2 or 3 species Neil, hard to tell.

 

[user 819]

Harlequin's have brown legs and can be multi spotted, they can be red on black or vice versa. What's confusing is they can have many or just a few spots.

Indigenous red LB's have black legs.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Harlequin's have brown legs and can be multi spotted, they can be red on black or vice versa. What's confusing is they can have many or just a few spots.

Indigenous red LB's have black legs.

Looks like I'll have to disturb a few at my next inspection. How do you politely ask a ladybird to show me her legs?

 

[user 819]

Looking at them, one suspects they are all Harlequins.

 

[Swarm]

They are.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Looking at them, one suspects they are all Harlequins.

Yes that’s what I said

An impressive bunch of invasive species

 

[user 819]

Highly likely so we tend to agree, however there is a Kidney LB that to all intents looks very similar to Harlequins with two spots also there are to or three others that look similar though only about 5mm in size.

Kidney LB.



Two spot in vice versa colours.
Confusingly the two spot can have four or six spots.

 

[pargyle]

Looks like I'll have to disturb a few at my next inspection. How do you politely ask a ladybird to show me her legs?

Easy ...

Ladybird ladybird fly away home, your house is on fire and your children all gone ....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Easy ...

Ladybird ladybird fly away home, your house is on fire and your children all gone ....

Or for Welsh ladybirds:
Buwch goch gota,
P'un ai glaw neu hindda?
Os taw glaw, cwymp o'm llaw;
Os taw haul, hedfana.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

For those of you that don't understand the language of heaven (Spanish)

Ladybird,
which one. either rain or shine?
if it will rain, fall from my hand;
if it will shine, fly away

 

[Brian Bush]

I have certain hives that seem to attract ladybirds each year.
I have one out apiary that mice were always a nuisance in. A couple of years ago I lifted the lid of a WBC hive in this apiary and there was a weasel curled up asleep on the top of the insulation. I never saw another mouse in those hives that winter but there were weasel droppings on top of the insulation in all of them.

 

[Pembroke]

A few years ago in the spring I was confronted with this bumble bee when I went to remove my mouse guards.



It was still alive but had scraped all it's tail fur off trying to get free, I ended up cutting the mouse guard to let it go. My bees didn't seem to be overly bothered by it.

 

[PeaBee]

My son found these in a empty feeder a few weeks back. The softie put the feeder back in the barn. Told him all mouse damage this winter is his responsibility.