Map of the Week: Alien Invasion
As I stumbled down the stairs this morning, I discovered I had been invaded by aliens. In the interests of science, I pulled out a camera and took a photo of them for you.
It is that time of year when the ladybirds move in, squeezing under windows and around doors hoping to find warm and safe living quarters to see them through to Spring.
But my snap of just a few of the uninvited guests reveals that this is not a case of British homes for British bugs.
These are Harlequin ladybirds, unwelcome foreigners who are making life increasingly precarious for the indigenous coccinellids.
Fresh off the presses, my map of the week this week documents the latest information on the spread of the Harlequin from its first known arrival in Britain in 2004. 
Native to Asia, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) was widely introduced into Europe from 1995 as a biological way to control aphids. (Will we ever learn!) Sold by various biological control companies in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, it was also intentionally released in at least nine other countries.
While the black and red harlequin has a suitably diabolic colour-scheme, don't be fooled. The more common type of harlequin is orange with black spots - easily mistaken for our native types.
It has spread very rapidly and is now regarded as established in thirteen European countries including, most recently, Norway and Sweden. But their continued spread in the UK spells bad news for our common native two-spot and seven-spot varieties.The Harlequins eat their babies and their food supply.
The map confirms the spread north of the Harlequin, but this year's real change will probably be far more obvious after the reports of sightings in the next week or so are recorded.
In the United States the Harlequin is known as the 'Halloween Ladybug' because it makes its presence felt at this time of year.
The mapping of the Harlequin is perhaps the first time a species has been tracked from its arrival in a country. If you see one and want to help the scientists keep tabs on the invasion, details of the project can be found here.
Publication of the new Harlequin map coincides with the BBC's Alien Invaders week. The stories of Japanese knotweed, Chinese mitten crabs and American crayfish will be narrated across the output in the next few days. The cost to the taxpayer and business of these invaders is significant - yet another example of how globalisation is changing the way we live.
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~42~RS~)
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Alien invasion? Yeah, right.
Ya know nothin' yet.
By the end of the week you'll regret wasting that heading on a few ladybirds which are native to our planet and not at all aliens.
I'm just sayin' ...
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You ask, "when will we ever learn?" - and yet here we are talking of introducing yet another foreign species to control the Japanese bindweed "problem".
Ecosystems are incredibly complicated and there are few success stories with the introduction of one species from it's native environment into a new one.
The factors concerned are too complex to be calculated and the long term consequences unknown.
We have lost most of our squirrels, crayfish, ladybirds fast going .... what next?
It may well be that the contemplated introduction of the aphid that likes Japanese bindweed goes along the lines of most other attempts at such ventures - going very wrong.
This story only supports our growing knowledge that moving species from ecosystem A to ecosystem B usually have unexpected consequences.
When WILL we ever learn!
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using insects to control other insect infestations has been a fools idea for years and it will affect the eccologies of places where they have spread too.
humans are not a clever as they think and one error could destroy this planets ecosystem fully.
when will they learn?
one can only hope its not before too many indiginous life forms are killed off.
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It is interesting how people can be so negative about a proactivestep to control nature. I mean what is teh worst that could happen......
The aphids may be coming from a particular ecosystem where they have no other preferred food, surely they are not likely to want to eat other types of plantlife found in our ecosystem.
Surely we are not expecting the aphids to do exactly as nature does and expand into terratory of other aphids and bugs.
Surely we cannot foresee that introducing another lifeform into the ecosystem could completely destablize our ecosystem causing damage requiring yet another creature to be introduced to eat the aphid.
Surely we are not following the same plan as that of the old lady who swallowed a fly.... and I don't know why she swallowed a fly!!!!
OK maybe this is a bad idea afterall..... When will we ever learn!!!
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Mark:
Nice map of the week!
the insects pictures are a GREAT touch...
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Interesting stuff. And I would be worried about the ladybirds if my pension wasn't currently at risk because someone thought it was good business to lend my money to people with a zero credit rating...
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I remember seeing all sorts of interesting insects at Stansted Airport after they make a run for it off the planes to avoid customs. I've seen grown men cower in fear from rather large moths and seen conversations stop mid-sentence to the sudden appearance of a locust. I would have though that most of these tourists would find the climate a tad too cold and shuffle off this mortal coil to leafy pastures new.
Has anyone investigated exotic wildlife around any of the large airports ?
I for one welcome our insect overlords.
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And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords
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"We'll fight them on the nettles and in the dandelion patch "
Yes....That is what I heard near Mark's Garden ...
One lady-male-bird even smoked a cigar and looked like a bulldog .....
I think the rest called him "Winnie".....You can always trust a BBC correspondent for good wind up .....
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For many years now this has been happening and the Brit Gov has done nothing.
Foot & Mouth was reputedly the direct cause of meat being brought into this country - EG foreign foods. This cost the UK billions.
Again the Civil Rights act is to blame for this as the Brit Gov is freightened of taking action as it could be interpreted as a CR issue.
Insects, spiders etc are creeping into our country un noticed.
Try and get meat, fruit etc into Australia !!
At least they have the backbone to which the Brit Gov do not.
For too long an open door policy into the UK has propagated and it has to stop from the depletion of the red squirals to camel spiders.
Camel spiders are now in this country.
Any one whom believes camel spiders are harmless (as stated on the BBC news) think agian. These creatures secreet a fluid then start munching away on your flesh. The fluid is an anesthetic and when secreeted, numbs the flesh so the spider could amputate your arm whilst you are sleeping. I have seen the result of this in Libya. A hole in a guys face the size of my fist.
Action is required now to restrict access to all types of plants and food, notwithstanding luggage.
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sorry, a Russian dacha owner here. (old garden, with old apple trees).
Does anybody know if normal lady-birds eat apple-tree aphids ?
We also have 7-spot ones here, no "harlequins" thank God so far. but can be expected now as well ? I guess. will crawl over somehow.
There is a standing Russian belief here that it is enough to have 30 (normal) lady-birds in the garden, to forget about any artificial caring of apple-tree trunks and leaves (chemicals). I never knew how to allure so many lady-birds in!
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