2-Spot Ladybird

Adalia bipunctata

Date First Recorded in the Garden: 17/04/2022

Family Coccinellidae: The Ladybirds

Known as Ladybugs in the US, Ladybirds are a familiar family of beetles called Coccinellidae with around 6,000 species known worldwide. According to the Field Guide to the Ladybirds (ref 1), there are 47 species resident in the UK. Most are carnivorous, feeding mainly on aphids.

It is important to note that the elytra (the casing we typically think of as red, yellow or black protecting the wings), is very variable between and within species (polymorphism) and can make identifying species confusing. Males and females are similar, females typically larger.

2-Spot Ladybird – Adalia bipunctata

Like the 10-Spot Ladybird, this species’ markings are very variable, but it can be distinguished from the 10-Spot by its black legs. If you see a ladybird like the one above, then odds are you are looking at Adalia bipunctata.

In the Garden

2021 was, it seems, a good year for ladybirds in the garden, with 2023 being okay, but 2022 saw very few of any species. Overall, we find this a little surprising due to the sheer numbers of suitable adult feeding opportunities in the garden, including the hazel, which is often overrun with aphids. The 2-Spot Ladybird is predatory on aphids.

Ref 1: Roy. H & Brown. P (2018): Bloomsbury Wildlife Guides: Field Guide to the Ladybirds of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd