Ladybirds Infestations
In Pests
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Ladybirds Infestations:

Harlequin Ladybirds differ from the native British Ladybird by size, colour and crucially for pest controllers their hibernation habits. The colours of the Harlequin Ladybird vary from Pale Orange, to black with a variety of different spot configurations. They are also known as the Multi coloured Asian Ladybird or the Halloween Ladybird. The difference is that Harlequin Ladybirds hibernate in large groups in buildings in the same way that Cluster Flies do. As with Cluster Flies it appears that once a site is chosen the descendants tend to use the same site year after year. This is because of genetic memory where the memory of the site is passed down to the insects descendants.
Treatment for Harlequin Ladybirds is similar to Cluster Flies. A residual insecticide is applied to areas the insects are seen, such as around windows (inside & out), walls, ceilings and lofts. Loft spaces and similar cavities may be treated with an insecticide fog. Insecticide treatments will reduce the problem greatly but not eliminate the infestation. The reason for this is that a high number of insects may be hibernating in areas that do not come into contact with the applied insecticide such as cavity walls, boxed off areas in roofs or between the felt & the roof tiles. As insects come into contact with the treated surfaces they will absorb the insecticide and die but this may take some time depending on the temperature (cold weather slows the insect’s metabolism down so they take much longer to die) and another factor is how long ago the insecticide was applied, inside the residual spray may last 1-2 months but obviously after 2 months it will not be as potent as after a few days. All the modern insecticides are biodegradable to make them safe, the drawback of this being that they are quite delicate so will break down if aggregated by cleaning or other wear.