Why so many ladybirds?

HANNAH STEPHENSON SAYS YOU MAY BE SEEING MORE LADYBIRDS IN THE GARDEN - SO HOW CAN WE HELP THEM SURVIVE WINTER?

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Ladybirds huddling in a leaf; hieroglyphic ladybird below left; log piles are great for ladybirds during winter, below right

ANYONE who’ starting to tidy up their garden in the next month is likely to see plenty of ladybirds on foliage and debris looking for nooks and crannies in which to shelter as autumn kicks in.

It’s been a bumper year for these beneficial insects, thanks to the warm temperatures in spring and summer which have boosted the aphid population, which ladybirds feed on.

Aphids produce more generations in warm weather as hotter temperatures speed up their development and reproductive cycle, providing more food for ladybirds.

Horticultural charity Garden Organic has reported a huge increase in numbers into September at its demonstration garden in Ryton, Coventry.

Ladybird expert Professor Helen Roy, from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and honorary fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, says the UK Ladybird Survey (which aims to encourage the recording of all species of ladybird found within the UK) has received high numbers of seven-spot, 14-spot and harlequin ladybirds, but also specialist species such as the hieroglyphic ladybird - a bronze-brown bug found on heath-lands.