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Re: Ladybugs Galore!

From:

William Randolph

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Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:48:02 -0400

Local but not native.

These ladybugs are a Japanese variety used in agriculture. They protect
the crops from insects during the summer and them swarm our homes when the
months begin to cool. They are coming indoors to find a place to spend the
winter, and if left alone, will survive.

They have a strong chemical defense that makes them unpallatable to most
animals, including birds.



> Would somebody enlighten me regarding the life history of the local
> ladybug?  This afternoon our whole block looked like a scene from
> Hitchcock's "The Birds", only from ladybugs.  I've never seen them
> swarming like this before!  Is this the mating season?
> Another thing I noticed was that they were aloft with no apparent interest
> from birds.  Not one winged predator around for the hour or so I watched.
> Are ladybugs distasteful to birds?


-- 

William Randolph
Keedysville, MD