NATURE TABLE: The Ladybird

Ladybirds are beetles and 19 species have been recorded here. However, most of these species are uncommon or rare.

They are so rare that some have only been recorded once, and that over a century ago.

There’s also the harlequin ladybird, an east Asian species that has been spreading rapidly round the world and has become a pest in some countries. There are only a few records from Ireland so far but it has the potential to become invasive.