“Are these vampire ladybugs really real?”
This is how one of the many questions we received today on this topic begins. The request included a reference to Facebook to a status post that was republished just a few days ago. Since we have already covered the topic, we can now quickly provide the following information. The user writes here that these are Asian lady beetles and that the bite is very painful. Introduced from Asia, they were used as biological pest controllers against lice. Today, however, they are a threat to the native ladybird population. And as if that wasn't bad enough, a gruesome image is now circulating the internet.
It shows how these Asian lady beetles suck themselves into the roof of a dog's snout.
And as always, don't believe everything that's spread on the internet.
When threatened, these ladybirds secrete an orange-yellow fluid (hemolymph) that is foul-smelling and, in rare cases, can cause an allergic reaction. But they're not vampire bugs, as this spooky picture suggests.
was reported here back in 2015 :
The article talks about a so-called vampire ladybug. This is the Asian lady beetle, it is also known as the multi-colored or harlequin lady beetle and is known for its extremely voracious nature.
For this reason, it was imported in large quantities from its region of origin, Asia, to the USA and Europe for biological pest control.
In the meantime, however, it has multiplied en masse and is threatening our native ladybird species, as it does not disdain its own species. We become particularly aware of these pests in autumn, because then they rise en masse into the air, colonizing house walls and other places that are warmed by the last rays of sunshine.
But the FACT is that it hardly sticks to the palate of our pets, as it secretes a yellow, bitter-tasting and toxic liquid (hemolymph) when there is a risk of reflux bleeding and therefore becomes absolutely unattractive for our pets.
An infestation in the form shown can therefore be virtually ruled out.
2008 (California)
There was ONE documented case . That's probably where the photo comes from.
Notes:
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