Brits warned ladybirds storming UK ‘flip vicious’ if they do not get two issues

Brits have been told to be on their guard…for ladybirds who turn “vicious” if they don’t get two things.

We are well versed in the art of wasp dodging, fly swatting and mosquito splatting – but experts have warned we are also in danger of being savaged, by ladybugs.

With more than 6,000 species of ladybirds, including red and yellow spotted beetles, they are “everywhere”. Added to that is the fact they can fly, are carnivores – and have a nasty bite.

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They are brightly-coloured to warn predators they taste bad, but they also have powerful jaws called mandibles with two sets of teeth.

The most common in the UK is the two-spot and seven-spot ladybirds – but the Harlequin ladybug, which has two white spots on its thorax just behind its head, is the most bitey.

The Harlequin, which first came to the UK in 2004, also eats its own species, and is often found in swarms of hundreds.

Natalie Bungay, the of the British Pest Control Association, said on Tuesday that ladybug bites hurt “a bit”, but are not “that serious”. She said: “Ladybird bites can hurt a bit but are not serious and not that common.

“The most aggressive is the harlequin variety, which is red or orange with distinctive white marks,” she told the T2 supplement in The Times.

Experts say ladybirds only normally bite if they are provoked by humans, and that although most bites hurt for a few hours, some folk can suffer allergic reactions to the bite.

Dr Max Barclay, beetle expert at the Natural History Museum, said it was best to usher ladybirds out of your house if they found their way in. He said: “These ladybirds don’t want to be in your home any more than you want them there.

“If people squash them, they can stain walls with their defensive yellow chemical secretions which can be slightly smelly.

“The best thing one can do is ‘to help them find their way out…the ladybirds will be grateful, and may even repay the favour by eating some of the greenflies on your roses.”

Dr Eddie Roche, speaking previously, said ladybirds could “turn vicious” when there is a lack of food or water.

He said: “Ladybirds might have a reputation as a pretty friendly insect, but they can turn vicious if there’s no food or water to be had.

“In cases like this, ladybirds can and will bite people. While ladybird bites don’t usually cause any health problems, in some rare cases, they can cause an allergic reaction.

“If you experience swelling in areas where you haven’t been bitten, problems breathing or any other serious symptoms, be sure to seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible.”

He said the best way to treat ladybug bites was to wash them with soap and water to stop infection.

In 1976 there was an explosion of ladybirds in the UK, with an estimated 24 billion of the creatures in the south east of England alone.

There were reports at the time of scores of people being bitten by ladybirds as they swarmed in towns and cities across the south east.

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