Harmonia axyridis - unwelcome migrantsThey look cute – red or orange with black spots - but they are most unwelcome guests.
Signals are coming from both north and south of Poland that the invasive Asian ladybirds, also called harlequin, ninja or killer ladybirds, have come for good and seem ready to stay here.
Specialists fear an invasion that will put native ladybirds at risk. The newcomers – their Latin name is Harmonia axyridis – are known to spread fast and push competition out of their favorite habitats.
“I like ladybirds but not in such enormous quantities”, a resident of the south-eastern city of Rzeszow complains. “Now, they have arrived in great numbers. They are everywhere, on bushes, trees, walls, on the staircase. I have to shake them off from my clothes, before I get in to my apartment. Is this a normal thing?”
The invasive insects are known for their voracious appetite and nasty bites. They smell like mould or rotting fruit. The ninja ladybirds migrated to Europe via the United Stats, where they were first introduced to fight native pests but they turned against native ladybirds, too.
In Asia they winter in the mountains but have taken to tall buildings in Poland.
(kk)Source:gazeta.pl