why is there so many ladybirds

There are lots of ladybirds around right now because recent warm, dry weather has boosted their food supply and encouraged a “baby boom,” and in cooler months they also gather in houses and sheltered spots to hibernate together.

What’s causing the boom?

• A warm spring and summer help aphids (greenfly) multiply, and ladybirds feed heavily on them, so more food means more ladybirds surviving and breeding.

• Heatwaves and dry spells speed up insect life cycles, so ladybirds can raise more generations in a single year than usual.

• Climate change and generally warmer conditions are making these good years for many insects more frequent, which can lead to noticeable spikes in ladybird numbers.

Why they’re all over houses

• In early autumn and on warm sunny days, ladybirds start looking for safe places to hibernate and are drawn to warm walls, windows and roof spaces. They slip into cracks around windows, lofts and brickwork.

• Many species naturally hibernate in big clusters in caves, trees or rock crevices, so a south‑facing house wall or window frame is basically the modern equivalent.

Harlequin ladybirds and “invasions”

• In parts of the UK and Europe, the harlequin ladybird (an invasive species) has spread rapidly and now shows up in very high numbers, sometimes outcompeting native two‑spot and seven‑spot ladybirds.

• These harlequins are very flexible eaters, so when aphids run low, they may eat other insects and even other ladybirds’ larvae, which is why gardeners and wildlife fans talk about them so much in recent years.

Is it a bad sign?

• For the most part, lots of ladybirds mean there were plenty of plant pests like aphids around and that your local environment is fairly biodiverse.

• They are helpful predators that protect plants and also provide food for birds and other wildlife, so seeing many of them is usually a good ecological sign, even if it feels like an invasion.

What you can do

• If they’re indoors and annoying, gently sweep or vacuum them up and release them in a sheltered spot like a shed, bug hotel, or dense shrub rather than killing them.

• To reduce numbers entering your home, seal gaps around windows and doors and use fine mesh on vents, especially around the time the weather turns cooler in autumn.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.