Millions of ladybirds from Asia and North America are set to descend on the UK this winter carrying a fungal infection which could decimate the native population.
The bugs are being spotted in growing numbers across the UK, aided by a mild autumn.
"Dozens have photographed the creepy-crawlies in their homes, with Merseyside and Manchester thought to be especially affected," the Daily Mail reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Harlequin ladybird was first recorded in the UK in 2004, according to Professor Helen Roy, one of the scientists behind the Harlequin Survey. It can be recognised by its distinctive orange or black wings and is usually larger than its British counterparts.
However, the bugs carry Laboulbeniales, a fungal disease passed on through mating. The infection has only been recorded in a handful of native ladybirds until now and researchers suspect it could have an impact on "the lifespan or the number of eggs a female can produce over her lifespan".
Data recorded over the last decade indicates "seven out of eight native species of ladybird were declining and this was strongly linked to the arrival of the harlequin ladybird", says the survey.
The insects "are very effective aphid predators" and unusually resistant to parasites, it adds, meaning they "easily out-compete" native species.
Although the Harlequin poses no threat to humans besides a small bite, they can emit an unpleasant smell and leave stains on furniture if they get into houses.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin: the new space race?Speed Read Branson has declared space open for business. Is that still a pie in the sky?
-
Russia and China joining forces to build first Moon base
Speed Read Lunar pact represents ‘all kinds of security threats’ to UK and US, expert warns
-
Mystery of where Stonehenge stones came from finally solved
Speed Read But how the builders moved the huge stone megaliths to the Salisbury site remains a mystery
-
How chimpanzee ‘lip smacking’ can unlock mystery behind human speech
Speed Read New study reveals rhythm of great apes’ communications is identical to spoken language
-
Could coronavirus lead to world peace?
Speed Read International leaders throw their weight behind plans for a global ceasefire – but will it hold?
-
What is an Earth sandwich?
Speed Read Two men create planet-sized snack by placing slices of bread on exact opposite sides of the planet
-
Scientists discover new variety of black hole
Speed Read Astronomers had previously missed entire class of dead star
-
Trio win Nobel physics prize for work to understand cosmos
Speed Read The scientists were hailed for ‘ground-breaking’ discoveries
