Invading cannibal ladybirds take over Britain's homes
Activer le mode zenGenevieve Roberts
It started with the squirrels - Britain's native reds being ousted by their ruthless grey American cousins. Now another battle is unfolding, one which could be even more catastrophic for an iconic species. Ladybird wars have broken out in the UK - and this time humans are caught in the crossfire.
An explosion in the number of harlequin ladybirds has led to people's homes being infested with the creatures - and threatened native ladybirds.
While the two-spotted and seven-spotted varieties are emblematic of the British countryside, the larger harlequin, first seen in the UK in 2004 and now numbering billions, has become the nation's most abundant species. Rather than feasting on aphids and greenfly, the harlequin also eats lacewings, hoverflies and even other ladybirds.
Pour citer cette ressource :
Invading cannibal ladybirds take over Britain's homes, La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), août 2012. Consulté le 12/03/2025. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/archives/archives-revue-de-presse/invading-cannibal-ladybirds-take-over-britain-s-homes