Stupid Ladybird!

[goosey]

I have a garden full of aphids, the honeysuckle and Red campion being the main victims, and what is this ladybird upto . She has laid one egg on some bird poo on the wall .

[chris butterworth]

I think it's a case of "Needs must when the Devil drives". At this time of year there is an overwhelming need to lay as many eggs as possible so, at times, anything that faintly resembles a 'normal' site will do. ( Plus the fact that there isn't that much room in a Ladybird's tiny little head to consider the deeper philosophical implications of what hatching out halfway up a wall, in a pile of bird poo will do to the progeny ).
,
Chris

[goosey]

Originally Posted by chris butterworth

I think it's a case of "Needs must when the Devil drives". At this time of year there is an overwhelming need to lay as many eggs as possible so, at times, anything that faintly resembles a 'normal' site will do. ( Plus the fact that there isn't that much room in a Ladybird's tiny little head to consider the deeper philosophical implications of what hatching out halfway up a wall, in a pile of bird poo will do to the progeny ).
,
Chris

I actually removed the ladybird to what I think was a better location but I watched her for a while camera at hand expecting her to lay a clutch of eggs but she didn't.
Perhaps she had practically finished laying somewhere else and was disturbed and laid the remaining egg on the first thing she landed on.

I am of a mind to see if I can remove the lump of poo and put it some where else to hatch. Apart from it having no immediate food source when it does hatch it is really exposed to the elements where it is.

[Suzanne B]

Ooh you are very harsh goosey, and I see even a poor old ladybird can't escape your bossiness

Did you move it in the end and if so/if not hows it doing?

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Suzanne B

Ooh you are very harsh goosey, and I see even a poor old ladybird can't escape your bossiness

Originally Posted by Suzanne B

Did you move it in the end and if so/if not hows it doing?

I tried yesterday but the poo started to crumble away, so I have left the egg on a baking hot wall and moved some plants in front of it to shade it a bit.

[Suzanne B]

At least you have tried.
I've noticed ladybirds laying eggs on boards and the like (will be in my allotment post....if you can wait ) and they were in the shade but have dried out, at least I thought they had but thinking about it they may have hatched. I'll have another look.
How long does it take from laying to hatching?

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Suzanne B

At least you have tried.
I've noticed ladybirds laying eggs on boards and the like (will be in my allotment post....if you can wait ) and they were in the shade but have dried out, at least I thought they had but thinking about it they may have hatched. I'll have another look.
How long does it take from laying to hatching?

The eggs change colour before hatching, they darken to a greyish green colour. Maybe that is what you have mistaken for drying out - I hope so.

I have made a collage of piccies from 17th -24th May 2011 showing the stages the eggs go through before hatching,

17th May Image 1. Original image
22nd May Image 2. 15.45 Just beginning to turn colour from yellow.
22nd May Image 3. 21.35 Totally changed.
23rd May Image 4. 08-19 They have a creepy almost skeleton look to them.
23rd May Image 5. 13. 05 We have larvae! Go get the aphids little ones!
24th May Image 6. 12.25. The last of the larvae are leaving the empty egg shells, we seem to have 100% hatch rate, that isn't always the case.

[Suzanne B]

Thanks goosey that is very helpful.
They don't take long do they. I'll go and have a look tomorrow and see how things are progressing.

[paul m]

I seem to have missed this thread. A couple of points.
Some ladybirds, notably Harmonia axyridis , harlequin ladybird, regularly lay on walls and the like, away from plants and other insects. I suspect (but have no evidence) that this may be to avoid predation from other ladybirds - egg cannibalism is quite common amongst ladybirdss. Sometimes the eggs are laid on north-facing walls - presumably this avoids the drying affects of direct sunlight.
Bird faeces is used by quite a few insects as a food source although I'm not aware of it being used as a provision for eggs. It is most commonly a water supply - when first deposited only but may later provide nitrogen? Larger supplies of faeces (from horses &c) are more usually used by butterflies such as the purple hairstreak, Neozephyrus quercus ...