FIELD NOTES
MARCH 2005 continued....
SURVEYS
Harlequin Ladybird Survey
As I write, the first steps are getting under way for the launch of a rapid nationwide survey of ladybirds in Britain, and especially to try and monitor the spread of the Asian Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis. This first turned up in England in East Anglia and around Kew last summer, and caught the casual interest of some of the media, because this ladybird in particular has a habit of making itself felt! It has been used around the world for some time as a "good thing" in the fight against especially aphid pests of crops, because it is a particularly voracious feeder on these. The problem is, it is too good! It can outpace all its relatives in devouring aphids, and when it runs out of aphids, it turns to eating other things, including the eggs, larvae and even the adults of other ladybirds, lacewings, butterflies etc. etc. that happen to come its way! It can occupy every habitat from reed beds and coastal marshes right up to mountains, and it is a prolific breeder, right late into autumn, whereupon the hordes seek out houses to shelter! So, it is likely to cause some problems for many species of native insect if it behaves the same here as it has in North America and Europe.
Harlequin ladybirds
Photo: Dr M. Majerus
It over-ran western Europe a few years ago, having been introduced as a pest control agent in the south. By last year it had become the most abundant ladybird in Belgium and Holland (having all but eliminated our much-loved native species, the Seven-spot Ladybird), and its arrival in Britain was only a matter of time. It appears to have come in at two different places at least, and it is possible that it has arrived from both North America and from the Continent. It seems to come in particularly associated with cut flowers from Holland, but may also hitch a lift on lorries or in containers etc.
The intention of the rapid national survey is to monitor the spread of the insect, and also to assess its impact on native species. For this reason, a special project has been set up, operated jointly by Cambridge and Anglia Polytechnic University staff (Dr Mike Majerus and Dr Helen Roy), and the Biological Records Centre at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Monks Wood, where a full-time Project Officer will start work at the beginning of April. The money for all this has come mainly from a grant from Defra, mediated by the National Biodiversity Network Trust, as well as from NERC/CEH.
A dedicated website has just been set up: (www.harlequin-survey.org).
An important thing is to realise that the Harlequin Ladybird can be quite difficult to identify, because it is so variable. It is large (a bit bigger and fatter than the Seven-spot Ladybird), and usually has more spots, on an orange background (as seen in the one on the left in the picture above, but it can also be black with a few red spots (as in the other specimen), as well as having a range of other forms:
Whatever form it comes in, though, it always has brown feet! The illustrations here have been taken from an American source, but give some idea of the range of forms.
The essential thing, though, is that I would like all of you to take part in this survey. On the Harlequin Ladybird website you can contribute records direct. You will also be asked to send in specimens and/or photos for checking, so get those old pill bottles ready! In the meantime, go out and record all the common ladybirds you can find in your garden, or in a local hedgerow, and record the date, length of time you spent looking (try a sweep-net if you have one). Record the habitat, with a 6-figure grid reference and get the information ready to send in. This information is vital as a base-line against which to judge future changes. If you want to check which species you have found, you can look at the illustrations in the Richmond guide to Ladybirds by Mike Majerus, and shortly similar illustrations will be available on the Ladybird Recording Scheme website. Alternatively, you can send photos or samples to either the Harlequin Ladybird Project Officer at BRC, CEH Monks Wood, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, PE28 2LS, or to me.
Good ladybird spotting!
Trevor James
A message from the Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust
Hi! My name is Jane Clark. Some of you may have already heard from me!! I am the Wildlife Sites Officer for Hertfordshire and currently undertake the task of continuing the great work done by Petrina Allen with regards to the Joint Herts Natural History Society (HNHS) and Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust (HMWT) survey and monitoring project.
A big thank you to all those that have helped us either by looking up past data and/or managing to get out to some of our nature reserves last year as part of the survey/monitoring project. A number of surveys by the Society on HMWT nature reserves were undertaken last year including ones for plants dragonflies and spiders. Some of these results have already been entered on to our Recorder database and we are eagerly anticipating more!!
Jane Clark
Herts Wildlife Publications
Michael Clark has asked me to announce that, as from now, the Society has taken over the back stock of the book 'Mammals, amphibians and reptiles of Hertfordshire' from Training Publications Ltd. of Watford, which has now closed down. As a result, Michael has rather a lot of these available, and to encourage further sales, we will be able to offer them at reduced price! For details, contact Michael (see contacts box for address).
Readers might also like to know that our past Chairman, Alan Reynolds, has now produced a further report on his home patch: Kings Meads. The 'Kings Meads Report 2004' is available as a download from Alan's excellent personal website:
www.geocities.com/kingsmead2
This includes reports on birds, butterflies, dragonflies and a 2004 survey of the flora by Gerald Salisbury.
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