Jump to content
Complete France Forum

Are these from the ladybird family?


Ysatis

Recommended Posts

Hello.

   Whilst doing some gardening on a lovely warm day last week I noticed on one of our trees these,

[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/EMH_03/2009_0220Garden0020.jpg[/IMG]

what look like flat ladybirds. Are they?

   There were many 10's of them crawling around. Some were in the cracks of the house wall. On a much cooler day they were still there but huddled together and less active.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for posting the photos, Ysatis.

Looking around, I found this site which shows the difference between Red Cabbage Shield Bug (Punaise rouge du chou), Eurydema ornatum and Gendarme Bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus - which is what yours are, it would seem.

http://alisonashwell.blogspot.com/2007/04/red-cabbage-shield-bugs.html

And, apaparently, their diet consists primarily of seeds from lime trees and mallows. So, as Dog said, entirely harmless (unless you happen to be a seed from ...).  And, also as Dog said, they're not a beatle - 'Coleoptera' in scientific talk - as Ladybirds are; but a true bug - 'Hemiptera'.

More here http://www.cwgsy.net/private/gsybiorec/entomology/files/pyrrhocoris_files/Pyrrhocoris.html

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhocoris_apterus

Amicalement

Craig, always happy to learn something new every day ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all for your replies.

   Not being a garden at all I had no idea what they are, but I'm glad to hear that they are not a pest and quite harmless, so they are more than happy to carry on as they are. After Clair had said what they were, I did a bit of googling and read a couple of your links ventodue.

   Never having done any gardening before aquiring our sizable french one, I'm sure I will be back with more questions. Hopefully I won't look too much of a dumbo.

Regards,

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Ysatis "] Hopefully I won't look too much of a dumbo. [/quote]

No chance.  None of us, not even David Attenborough, came out of the womb knowing any of this stuff!  We've all had to learn it, one way or another ...

Enjoy your garden [:)]

Amicalement

Craig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...