Kitchen Garden Forum

They being ladybirds.
So far this year I think I have seen at most two or three. And no, the harlequins are not to blame as they haven't arrived here yet. There have been a few aphids of one sort or another, but they have been cleared by the birds (feathered). There have been very few ladybirds around since 2006.
What's the situation elsewhere?

Morning Alan, there are not a huge amount around here, but there are quite a few young ones hatching out and doing a tremendous job of clearing the black and greenfly up.

Good morning Alan,

Quite a few around here at the moment, but could do with a lot more

Come up to my plot, I'm inundated with them

I'll be there in 20 minutes.

We are over run with them adults and larvae.

theres a normal number here as well., couple of evenings ago a pair of white owles flew over, we usually only see them singely.

There are a few about here but nothing like other years. In our garden, I saw lots emerging from hibernation in the spring but there does seem to be a shortage of them now. Not many on the allotment either. I wonder why? Cheers.

Dear Elaine, i wonder if there was a lack of food about for the early emerging ones!

I wonder if they steer clear of Wales because the Welsh for Ladybird is Buwch goch gota (short red cow)

Plenty of ladybirds on the allotment but none in the back garden.

Dozens of sparrows in the garden and the blackbird was feeding the young ones about a couple of yards from where I was sitting last evening.

Bren

Hello OH. yes you could be right about the food situation , it was unseasonably warm at the time. Having said that...I don't think food was the ladybirds main priority going by the numbers of them which were "paired up" amongst the greenery....

I haven't seen any ladybirds in my allotment yet, but quite a few bees about.

They are very scarce in my garden too. I've only seen two this year which is very unusual, but there are lots of them in a couple of places in the countryside about 10 miles away from here. I'll have to bring a few home. I have noticed that the blue tits and house sparrows are eating all the aphids off things but I don't think it is lack of food that is the problem, there just aren't any ladybirds here just now. Perhaps the birds have eaten them too.

A 50% increase here - saw another ladybird last week, bringing this year's total to three