Ladybirds Are Go!

krizon

krizon

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
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16,263
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Dahn sarf
Well, the 4-spot variety is here in Brighton. Found my first one a few nights ago and meant to ask if anyone else had found any variety in their garden yet? A little bee whizzed past me at Lingfield last week, too, so perhaps our lovely insects are coming out of hibernation now.
 
Weve had a few bumble bees about here lately - one flew up to Hi Tech and eyeballed him last Sat when I was on him - his experession was somewhere between :suspect: and :eek: - priceless!! :laughing:

I found a yellopw ladybird yesterday - and it had loads of spots.Im sure i remember being told they are baddies? it flew off before I could get a proper look at it - but it was quite pretty.Not seen any red ones yet though.
 
A beautiful large bumblebee flew into my porch (no 'e', sady) on Thursday and when I went to get a glass to put it back in the garden, on my return it had disappeared. I knew it had to be in there somewhere, so hunted about and finally found it in a wellington boot.... Glass not needed and bumblebee safely released!
 
When we were out and about on Thursday we saw quite a few butterflies and ladybirds.
 
I've seen a few bumble bees - one seems pretty keen to come into the house - and butterflies this past week.
 
BBC's Springwatch programme is collecting results of the first sightings of various species. 7 spot ladybirds and red-tailed bumblebees are amongst them.

Springwatch survey

I don't think I have ever seen a red-tailed bumblebee though.
 
I must live in two alternative universes or something as a lot of bugs and beasties which are listed as rare appear both at a flat I stay at near Bushy Park and in our village in Devon.

We have these huge hornet things that are attracted to light and come into the house, turn light out and they exit. Make whirring noises like helicopters! They come in at dusk. They also land on you if you are wearing white and one hung around on my shirt for ages. Kind of big dumb guys but reading about them says very painful if they sting you. Beautiful looking bright yellow and black zeppelins. :)

We have different colour and spot ladybirds too - and I am not sure what any of them are.

I saw the first butterfly of spring at Cheltenham. Red Admiral I think, landed on the car parked behind us. Turned out to be Clive Smith's maserati, so being a fan of bugs and beasties we all rushed off to back Kauto Star even thou he was a bad price.
 
Yes, I love those beetles, but not many people believe you when they're told they're called 'cockchafers'! There were (and still are!) many varieties in Africa, including tiny ones with immensely powerful, serrated front legs. If you closed them gently in your hand, they'd force their way between your fingers until you had to release them, and they also made tiny squeaking noises.

I adored them and because they were so sweet, I called them 'sweetie beetles'. One of my uncles, who was also working in Africa, called in to see us. He was quite excited as he was just starting work with an entomologist on pest control for the Grain Marketing Board. I was busy playing with a couple of the beetles and he asked what species they were. "These," I said, giving him one to hold, "are sweetie beetles."

A few days later, out in the field with the rather masculine woman entomologist, he found a few of the chafers. "I know what they are," he boasted, anxious to show off his new-found knowledge. "Aha," said the bug lady, "and what are they called, then?"

"They're sweetie beetles," said my uncle, proudly. After she finished wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes, she told him what their real names were, and I remained unforgiven forever.
 
Um, I knocked over & killed a massive bumblebee today when driving!!!! My passenger found it intensely amusing, not least as she also saw the big, fat thing hovering lazily as I hit it then we both saw [in the mirrors] it drop like a stone onto the road afterwards! It was most bizarre, but like I said to her (when she said, aw, poor thing - you killed it!) what was I supposed to do? Sound the horn at it???
 
They have souls, you know. When you die, Shadz, it will be waiting to greet you, :rant: but as all things are equal in the spirit world, it will be around 5' 5" tall and weigh nine stone. Just to prepare you...
 
Yes, we have 'sweete beetles' too, because we are next door to Bushy Park we get giant beetles, like the stags. But these hornet things really are - hornets!

Did not know chaffers squeaked.

Oh no Shadow, sounds like your bumble may have been a Queen if she was that huge. You are in big trouble from now on with buzzers. :laughing:

Now we have some of the lesser insects, ants have invaded our kitchen as we have cheap nasty 70's construction with no insulation so plenty of between the bricks area for the ants to make their castles. Must invest in an anteater for a day I think.

Outside we have teeny baby squirrels coming round for the nuts we throw at them, they have nearly no tails and move like lightning. We also have those ring necked parrots, hundreds of them. All shouting when they roost. (Drives the cats mad)

This must be like Shadows girl when she gets going!
 
Isinglass - I don't know that all of them squeak. Certainly the very small varieties would, if held. There was another smashing beetle I used to like to find (in Africa - don't know if it's in Europe?) which was commonly called a 'click' beetle. It wasn't big, but black and lozenge-shaped. If you held it gently by its body, it would raise its thorax and bring it down with a really sharp, snapping 'click!' sound. You could've set up quite a little insect band with the squeaking chafers and the clicking beetles, let alone the buzzing of the cicadas! :)

DO: you are in the deepest of deep doo-doo now. Not planning to see Shadow any time soon, then?
 
I saw some sand martins swooping over the river this morning so they must be back for the summer. Apparently they arrive a few weeks before the swallows which sounds about right as the first swallows normally arrive up here around the last week in April/first week in May.

I also saw a kingfisher this morning - my first one ever!
 
:D I envy anyone their visiting birds, with accompanying poo or not. The manager at these flats seems to detest anything avian and we can't even put out a bloody bird feeder - "it'll attract rats!" she screams in horror at the thought. She hates pigeons and detests gulls - so lives in a seaside city. Some people really do need help!
 
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