Tuesday, November 09, 2010

5. Asian Ladybugs ( Harmonia axyridis )



Some of the many forms or "disguises" of Harmonia axyridis. Very pretty.

How many times have I mentioned these so far? Idk. But one thing is for sure is that they're bad. And you thought ladybugs were all good. Nope. And Harmonia axyridis isn't the worst of them either although I'd say this and another species tie first place.

That species will be mentioned at a later date. The list of crimes these beetles have committed over the years has grown as of now. It's shameful.....smh.

Some of these crimes are most shocking. The list if you will:

Zeh Crimes ( along with commentary ):


* Breaking and Entering
* Destroying native ladybug species
* Crimes against humanity ( in other words costing businesses $$ )
* Being a pain in the ass ( simply put there's too many of them )
* World Domination
* Biting people...... 0.0 What. The. Fuck.?!

The whole "Breaking and Entering" thing is in reference to the fact that every Autumn on warm days around October the little bastards find their way into houses by the hundreds or thousands to hibernate. This also attributes to the "there's too many of them" statement/crime.

They've settled themselves in as illegal U.S citizens of the order Coleoptera. Not only that but they're international now. In the UK they've been wiping out native ladybug species, two of which have gone extinct ( I remember reading this somewhere sometime ago ). The being a pain in the ass is in reference to all of the above.

And to quote the last one from the lovely Wikipedia:

Harmonia axyridis
is a "typical" coccinellid beetle in shape and structure, being domed and having a "smooth" transition between its elytra (wing coverings), pronotum and head. It occurs in three main color forms: red or orange with black spots (known as form succinea); black with four red spots (form spectabilis); and black with two red spots (form conspicua). However, numerous intermediate and divergent forms have also been recorded. The species is typically large (7–8 mm long) and even more dome-shaped than native European species (these characteristics distinguish Harmonia axyridis from native species in the UK). It often has white markings (typically defining an "M"- or "W"-shaped black area) on its pronotum, and usually brown or reddish legs.

Many people now view this species as a nuisance
, partly due to their tendency to overwinter indoors and the unpleasant odor and stain left by their bodily fluid when frightened or squashed, as well as their tendency to bite humans. (It is also currently increasing in Europe to the detriment of indigenous species, due to its voracious appetite which enables them to out-compete and even eat other lady beetles, as it also does in the United States).

Holy shit. Oh there's more people. Read about it here and do extra research. The world domination thing is due to the fact that they're found internationally now.

And the crimes against humanity as quoted by AOL Small Business:

What they threaten: The grape and wine industries -- and any business that has a building

Modus operandi:
Basically, this is the Asian version of the ladybug, and mostly, they're harmless. But during the winter, they fly into buildings and crawl into windows, walls and attics. Before dying, they'll often release an annoying stench and a yellow fluid that stains. But if you're a fruit grower, you'll be much more than annoyed. This is war. After all, these Asian lady beetles like to munch on peaches, apples and grapes, among other fruit, and as wine growers have found, if even just a small number of these beetles are accidentally processed along with the grapes, it can taint the wine's flavor.

Fun fact:
The Asian lady beetle's stench, which you'll discover if you try squashing them, Harrison says, "is their way of discouraging things from eating them."

- AOL Small Business

Oh joy! Now as for them biting people.......they have never bitten me.......oh wait.....0.0 I remember this one time I was on my terrace many years ago and I found one and it nipped me sorta. It wasn't painful. It's kinda hard to describe......0_0

There's a whole lot more you can find out on these if you do research. You'll be hearing about these from me again most definitely.......

.........as I'm not done trashing them. Toodles! *^^*

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