Public help to chart impact of most invasive ladybird on Earth
The Harlequin Ladybird has become potentially the “most invasive ladybird on earth”, scientists announced today.
The UK Harlequin Ladybird Survey, a collaborative project with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin University, demonstrated how the Harlequin has spread rapidly in the UK and its numbers have soared since arriving here in 2004. Through a pioneering online recording system members of the public registered their sightings with photos to give reliable data. Over 20,000 records of Harlequin Ladybirds, many of multiple individuals, have been logged since the survey was launched in March 2005.
The project was established by CEH, Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin University through the National Biodiversity Network Trust and with start-up funding from Defra.
Welcoming the study, Joan Ruddock, Minister for Climate Change and Biodiversity said:
“I am pleased that our funding has helped to establish the UK Harlequin Ladybird Survey as a good example for recording the distribution for non-native species.
This research is important because it demonstrates how quickly an invasive species can spread and become established. I was delighted by the great public response to the survey, showing the important role the public have to play in helping to conserve wildlife.”
Dr Helen Roy from CEH commented:
"The Harlequin Ladybird is an extremely unwelcome addition to the UK but through this online survey we have been able to track its movements and are now beginning to use the survey to understand more complex aspects of the ecology of the Harlequin Ladybird within the UK.
"None of this would have been possible without the rapid support from Defra through the National Biodiversity Network Trust and of course the enthusiasm of the public towards the survey. We hope that lessons can be learnt from the Harlequin Ladybird.
"The UK Harlequin Ladybird Survey has established the reputation of a model system for monitoring the Harlequin Ladybird and potentially other alien species in Europe and beyond.”
The Harlequin ladybird has been introduced to Britain accidentally following use in North America and parts of Europe to control aphids.
Further information
Page published: 7 February 2008