British families 'hide in cars as biggest ever' swarm of ladybirds invades beaches

Edinburgh Live

14-07-2025

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Experts are raising concerns over a boom in ladybird populations, driven by the perfect mix of sporadic rain and warm periods. Over the past weekend, social media was flooded with videos showing 'huge numbers' of these beetles as Brits contended with 'millions' swarming beaches and other locations during the intense heatwave.
A TikTok video depicted the scene at Weston Super Mare, where ladybirds inundated the sandy expanses, clambered over sunbathers, and covered cars and other vehicles. Beach visitors were seen dashing to their cars, slamming doors shut to escape the invasion.
In another episode at Weston, the beetles were filmed taking flight, engulfing a seafront restaurant just yesterday. The England versus India cricket match at Lord's was briefly interrupted last Thursday when a downpour of ladybirds, flourishing in the hot conditions, unsettled the players.
An expert has observed that ladybirds are appearing in 'very high numbers' this year due to the warmth, following the disruption at the cricket game.
This event follows closely after the UK's flying ant day, where similar weather patterns resulted in enormous swarms of those insects as well, reports the Mirror.
The sudden emergence of these creatures at Lord's in London last Thursday caused a short interruption during England's clash against India on the opening day of the third Rothesay Test.
England's vice-captain Ollie Pope was taken aback by the peculiar occurrence, admitting in a post-match comment: "I've never seen that, no,".
"That's a first that the crowd have got that today."
Professor Helen Roy, an ecologist and ladybird expert from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, has disclosed: "Many species of aphid-feeding ladybird such as the seven-spot ladybird are being seen in very high numbers this year.
"This is a consequence of the high aphid numbers and warm weather. People are reporting many sightings to the UK Ladybird Survey through iRecord, which is fantastic.
"If people want to help insects and other wildlife in this weather they can leave shallow dishes with a little water for them. Also, we encourage people to leave the aphids in their garden on roses and other plants so there is plenty of food for ladybirds."
For those interested in contributing to the ladybird survey, further information can be found here.
Tim Coulson, professor of zoology and head of biology at the University of Oxford, has called on the public to embrace ladybirds. "Warm weather means more aphids because they can complete each generation faster – insects, including ladybirds and aphids, tend to speed up their lives in warm weather," he explained.
"Ladybirds eat aphids, and an abundance of aphids mean ladybirds have a lot to eat. People should learn to love the ladybirds. They are effective predators of aphids, which can be a major pest of many plant species."
Dr Peter Brown, associate professor in ecology and conservation at Anglia Ruskin University, made a playful comparison: "Much in the way that wolves keep deer numbers in check in some parts of the world, ladybirds keep aphid numbers down. A swarm of ladybirds in a cricket game, even against India, should remind people of the role that predators play in keeping the ecology of earth in a healthy state."
He reminisced about the last significant increase in ladybird numbers: "In 1976 there were a lot of seven-spot ladybirds on the beaches as they searched for food and people thought they were invading – they were not, as they are native to the UK," while also acknowledging more recent surges.
As someone deeply involved with the UK Ladybird Survey, Dr Brown highlighted the positive aspects of the current rise in ladybird numbers: "Much in the way that wolves keep deer numbers in check in some parts of the world, ladybirds keep aphid numbers down. A swarm of ladybirds in a cricket game, even against India, should remind people of the role that predators play in keeping the ecology of earth in a healthy state."