Ladybirds

I think you might find that they've been overwintering in any cracks they could find (no criticism of your home!) and are now waking up.

If you put them out now they will probably die.

They are just coming out of hibernation, but it is too cold outside for them still. As Septimia said, they will find any little nook or cranny to sleep in in the winter!

I once took the large umbrella out of our garage in late March/early April ready for the warmer weather (remember warm weather?) and when I opened it up hundreds of ladybirds fell on my head!

I was very pleased that most of them began crawling away into the garden as they are such good aphid-hunters!

No ladybirds but there was a butterfly in church 2 weeks ago.

I'm sorry I can't help but I sadly I saw only one ladybird throughout the whole of last summer. I wondered where had they all gone. I do hope I see more this year. I'm in Scotland

They’re all in my spare bedroom

When I moved into my house five years ago I had lots of ladybirds spending the winter in my bathroom. They just slept in little clusters in the corners of the windows and walls and were no bother. Once spring came they just flew off.
The next summer, the one before Covid, my back garden was plagued with flies- so was my neighbours. I had so many flies it put me off sitting out in the garden.
The following year I had no ladybirds or flies but last year the wasps came! I couldn't see their nest but they just appeared from nowhere in my bathroom but never flew anywhere else in the house.
This winter the ladybirds are back!
I wonder if I have some sort of microclimate going on here, that goes in cycles.
Maybe the flies will be back this summer, who knows, it's all a bit strange but fascinating.

Germanshepherdsmum

If you put them out now they will probably die.

Oh dear, should I have rescued them?
They kept arriving in the little bedroom, when I opened the window to put them outside I found quite a lot all around the window frame.

I would try and gently scoop them with paper into a pot or jar and place them in an outbuilding if possible, where they can stay under cover for a bit longer. Somewhere out of the house but sheltered. I can't think of anything else to do.

I wonder if they are Harlequins? They are a non-native species that like to overwinter indoors.

www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2023-10-12/why-your-home-is-full-of-ladybirds-at-the-moment

www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/harlequin-ladybird

Or even knock them into a cardboard box which you can leave somewhere sheltered and dry. That will help protect them. Leave it open of course.

We were short of ladybirds last year. I didn’t know until too late that you can buy them online!

You could find out what type they are through the Ladybird survey - and then log them on their website.

I wouldn't put them out just yet though as it's very cold still - but obviously they are attracted to the light.

www.coleoptera.org.uk/coccinellidae/home

There is an info sheet of the most common ladybirds you can print off there.

Thanks everyone for the info and links.

My husband has one living in his car. Occasionally it appears on the windscreen or dashboard. I wonder what it lives on?

It's really spring like here today.
If you open the window will they just walk out I wonder?

Snap, we have lots in our bedroom mainly.

I had a lot of ladybirds last month. I put them on the hallway window ledge but they have gone now.

Slightly off track. In Oregon my ds can buy ladybirds in boxes of 100 to release into the garden. Many do this.

Update

The peppermint oil I put all round the bedroom window seems to have kept them away. The weather is too horrible to put them outside. When it warms up a bit I won’t mind if they appear and I can open the window wide.

Going off the topic a bit .... I didn't know until several years ago that some ladybirds bite! This particular one that bit me was more of an orange colour than red. I looked it up on the internet.

The Harlequin ladybird is more aggressive and tends to bite more often, according to the NHS. It adds; “The harlequin ladybird can be red or orange with multiple spots. Look out for a white spot on its head – other ladybirds don't have these patches.

We have seen quite a few ladybirds in our bathroom this year also....they are attracted to white pvc windows we reckon!

A friend once had a whole cluster of them and wanted to be rid of them. However, she was told they are a protected species, so she had to ignore them…but they eventually flew off as it became warmer.

PamelaJ1

We were short of ladybirds last year. I didn’t know until too late that you can buy them online!

That's what we do. We had a plum tree heaving with aphids last year; ladybird larvae helped get them under control. We'll add some more in the spring.

Huge amount of ladybirds where I live. Like you a neighbour of mine had dozens in her bedroom and was bitten by them while in bed. If I sit in my garden they bite me.