What's giving you the bird ?

A quiz for you dear reader. Which would you rather visited your home uninvited:

1: Harlequin, the most well-known of the Zanni servant characters from the Italian Commedia Dell'arte ?

2: Harley Quinn, the unhinged fictional DC comics character ?

3: A swarm of Harlequin ladybirds ?

If you answered 1 the chances are that you like highbrow theatre and probably have a nice place in the country with sash windows, which are prone to having gaps form in them, which allows ladybirds to be regular annual visitors to your home.

If you answered 2, you are probably still living with your parents or in halls so don’t mind if there is an insect invasion, because it’s not your problem and to be frank your toothbrush is more of a health risk than they are!!

Those that answered 3 probably like trees and own at least one wall-mounted lute, as well as the latest hessian shirt range.

2018 has seen an extended Summer, this has meant lots of insects have been able to breed more prolifically, which in turn has led to a sudden increase in reports of the non-indigenous Harlequin ladybirds (also known as the Multicoloured Asian Ladybird and the Halloween Ladybird, fact fans). These pests love appearing in large numbers usually around the window frames of your home or businesses, dropping in without invitation .... and they don’t even bring a bottle of wine.

Unlike most indigenous species - which tend to hibernate in trees or leaf litter - Harlequin ladybirds are most likely to be seen crawling into your home or place of work, because these blighters love a good family gathering at your expense. Whilst they may look pretty, they are rather less fun they first appear.

Harlequins – which are native to Asia - arrived in the UK around 2004 and started to compete with the 46 native species here. They are now the 2nd most common ladybird species across England and parts of Wales. Their arrival has led to the serious concern that they are displacing some native species, such as the two-spot ladybird. They are generally larger and feed on similar food to the native species, they have a voracious appetite and have even been known to eat the eggs of rival species. If that wasn’t enough to make you vote for them to have passports revoked, it’s also known they carry a sexually-transmitted disease (Laboulbeniales fungus, ….. which is easy for you to say), that they pass on when mating. 

Although the ladybirds are mostly harmless (according to Douglas Adams) and can be left alone if they are found in your house, they do sometimes bite people if no food is available which will normally leave a small bump and possibly sting for a while, although they are not completely harmless, there are reports of people having severe allergic reactions. They can also secrete a yellowish substance that stains furnishings, which can be a problem (unless you happen to be thinking of buying that new Mustard coloured DFS sofa).

If you want to save our indigenous species, stop the spread of Laboulbeniales fungus (and let’s be fair, who doesn’t?), or just want your house to look less like a hostel for runaway insects, then call Ecolab, we can provide an environmentally friendly and effective treatment which removes the insects and makes you feel less itchy.