Nature & Environment

Swarms of ladybirds invade Romanian town

By T.K. Randall
November 12, 2014 ·  14 comments

Fortunately the insects are harmless to humans. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Gabriel Gonzalez The small town of Lipova in western Romania has been subject to a peculiar invasion that is proving to be something of a nuisance.

Countless thousands of ladybirds have descended upon the town, forcing locals to seal their windows and doors in a futile attempt to stop the insects from getting in to their homes.

So great are their numbers in fact that in some areas residents have taken to sweeping them up with a broom."No matter what you do they keep coming," said Arina Deca who lives in the town. "I had my window open for a few minutes and when I closed it they were like a living carpet."

Experts believe that the ladybirds have been attracted to the town due to a sudden increase in the number of greenfly aphids, their primary food source.

"We've had very warm weather, about 20 to 22 degrees which must have something to do with it," said Mayor Mircea Jichici. "We've tried pesticides but we don't have enough to make an impact."

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (14)

Tags: Ladybirds, Insects, Plague, Swarm