Ladybirds, where do they live?

[Sixer]

We desperately need them in our garden. In fact we haven't seen 1 yet! So we are going with N.G. Bug Finder to catch a few of the cuties, give them a new home and a feast of black fly. So where do we go searching?

Sixer - it is very mean. It attacks our loverly gentle ladybirds, beats them up and leaves them for dead .
Fangs - might well have

so from lovely list i have from pavlovthecat, what is the name of this doc martin wearing, fangs, mean killer of bug is it?

Sorry, I mean do you know the name of it. (shhhh I've had a glass of wine, so I make sense to me and now others shhhh!)

not others, damn damn

Foreign invader ladybird here . Actually, they're not particularly vicious, but may outcompete our native species (From the gardening point of view, they may not be a bad thing as they consume aphids in copious quantities). Not a good idea to let them hibernate in your soft furnishings though, as they emit a foul substance when disturbed. They're pretty common around South London.

Harmonia axyridis, if you want its Latin name btw (can't do italics - sorry!)

Hall - oh they are soooo ugly

ok so now i am really confused. I've printed and printed and printed. What exactly can these ruff birds do to a child or plant, whats yellow? whats cream? OMG. Reminds me of our mushroom mission. Don't go there, stick with red and black what we know ladybirds. LOL

Hallgerda, as for foul substance, would that by any chance be the yellow stuff Ladybirds leave on your hands when you pick them up. What we used to call as children, Ladybird wee?

Sixer - sorry to have frightened you! they are not, as far as I am aware, about to go sticking their DM boots into a child's shin. They are only mean to other ladybugs. Dont quote me on that tho...

as I said we'll stick to ahhh Ladybirds red, black spots (not too many!) and use the list you provided with what I think is scum crossed off.

I reckon thats the plan, go for the ones that look like the pictures in children's books. Make sure they have little smiles tho...

and if i can see their teeth, then what?

Put them on some aphids and let them feast.

Did you know, if you have a ladybird on your finger and point at the sky they will always walk up it and fly off. Amazing!

We have collected lots of 7-spot ladybirds from long grass by the side of the road. We are somewhat rural though.
They are great though and it is most satisfying to pop one on an aphid-ridden plant and see it tuck in straight away.

Sixer, yes, that's the foul substance. It's a defence mechanism for when being an alarming shade of red doesn't deter predators sufficiently. And no, as others have said, the harlequin ladybird isn't a danger to people of any age.

I have to laugh at the little beasts being a sweet innocent icon on children's books, given the utterly sordid nature of ther sex lives (Only insect afflicted by STD...)

Returning to your original point, Sixer, we let our lawn grass grow long this year and it's full of seven-spot ladybirds.