All about the Cactus Ladybug.  https://bugguide.net/node/view/83002 https://academic.oup.com/ee/article-abstract/47/2/334/4911639 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Samways/publication/233668969_Physiological_and_Behavioral_Characteristics_of_Chilocorus_spp_Coleoptera_Coccinellidae_in_the_Laboratory_Relative_to_Effectiveness_in_the_Field_as_Biocontrol_Agents/links/57b411fa08aeaf239bafa29f/Physiological-and-Behavioral-Characteristics-of-Chilocorus-spp-Coleoptera-Coccinellidae-in-the-Laboratory-Relative-to-Effectiveness-in-the-Field-as-Biocontrol-Agents.pdf https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?pid=S0065-17372015000300025&script=sci_arttext  https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/103782098/Huang98-libre.pdf?1687812464=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DChilocorine_C_A_New_Dimeric_Alkaloid_fro.pdf&Expires=1763493047&Signature=BNBzff-pvUXZJM91H-68E4eA1ko4MKTTAtSJox~UVCUu8ls63yit67Bd2wZjegIgIZ~Mpz~YopQQmAZZPoRVuywmAPQsy05Ql9m5VMdppGlL7cgu7DdBvsiJfyssw5yWU8aQSFQfWkGfDoifSGLS4LQzI63l0ZGNw4JQjZtSZ1YSrc21McoMJDUTZpMFRu~kjaobNG5M5ThidVT03QQu0gcLhBcesAgU~X099ofT25WzcIV854yjTGUHc~nyX2IKh5HwoFJG-hMYvsKfSSNpnS7rvBXZzZtwaGiIhWHQ

This week I'm celebrating Mamdani's win with an episode on the state insect of New York. :)  Photo credit: Andy Birkey (bsky) (andybirkey.com)  https://guides.nynhp.org/nine-spotted-lady-beetle/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinella_novemnotata https://benthamopenarchives.com/abstract.php?ArticleCode=TOENTOJ-6-42 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1049964411003355?via%3Dihub https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/nine-spotted-lady-beetle-2016.html http://www.lostladybug.org/ http://www.lostladybug.org/images/Turnipseed_et_al_2014.pdf http://www.lostladybug.org/images/Turnipseed_et_al_2015.pdf http://www.lostladybug.org/images/LoseyEtAl2014.pdf https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-entomologist/article/abs/field-study-of-diapause-in-coccinella-novemnotata-coleoptera-coccinellidae1-2/A9AC5A380B0790A99355867363FD33F9 --  Donate at https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast  Hidden Wings and Bloodlust on FB https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloodlust/id1476595771 https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com/ 

Hear about one of the rarest and most beautiful ladybirds in Europe, its unique habitat and lifestyle.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333761329_Niche_width_and_niche_specialization_in_four_species_of_ladybirds_Coleoptera_Coccinellidae_co-occurring_in_the_same_habitat https://www.jungledragon.com/specie/12592/sospita_vigintiguttata.html#:~:text=Sospita%20vigintiguttata%20(Linnaeus%201758)%20is,(probably)%2C%20..more https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261474185_Notes_on_the_overwintering_of_marshy_forest_ladybirds_in_Poland_and_on_the_colour_change_in_Sospita_vigintiguttata_throughout_the_winter https://www.kul.pl/files/658/aphids17/16_Florek_Tragarz_Ceryngier.pdf  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Svenja-Christian/publication/320728530_First_records_of_the_ladybird_beetle_Sospita_vigintiguttata_Linnaeus_1758_and_the_skin_beetle_Reesa_vespulae_Milliron_1939_from_Luxembourg_Coleoptera_Coccinellidae_and_Dermestidae/links/59f81f65aca272607e2da08d/First-records-of-the-ladybird-beetle-Sospita-vigintiguttata-Linnaeus-1758-and-the-skin-beetle-Reesa-vespulae-Milliron-1939-from-Luxembourg-Coleoptera-Coccinellidae-and-Dermestidae.pdf  https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=713446 

I discuss the relationship of ladybirds to Christianity.  Sources include:  Books - A cultural history of insects in the medieval age  Encyclopedia of Easter celebrations worldwide https://fathersofmercy.com/the-seven-sorrows-seven-joys-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4567115-a-year-on-ladybug-farm  https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/5/306  https://ucatholic.com/blog/our-ladys-bird-the-catholic-origins-of-the-ladybug/ https://catholicismpure.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/three-nursery-rhymes-with-surreptitiously-sinister-origins/ https://www.felbecktrust.org.uk/single-post/bishy-barnabee-at-wood-norton  https://www.catholic365.com/article/7800/ladybug.html  https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/about-us/ https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-05056-0_9  https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/darwin-and-the-god-of-love  -- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloodlust/id1476595771   https://iheart.com/podcast/295570902 - iheartradio  https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com/  Facebook: Hidden Wings and Bloodlust Ko-Fi.com/hwabpodcast   

The 7-spot ladybird was my very first episode and I've re-edited the audio and uploaded it again, which I will be doing for some of my older episodes, although it still sounds a bit weird in places, so I might update this file again in future as well. I used a variety of sources for this, including books by Richard Comont and Helen Roy. My instagram account was since hacked so the link is invalid, and my patreon account was deactivated. I think I've improved since I originally recorded this :D  - However, you can buy me a coffee at Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloodlust/id1476595771 https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com/  

An in depth episode about the amazingly variable 10-spot ladybird.  Sources:  AFG Dixon's study on 10-spot larvae: An experimental study of the searching behaviour of the predatory coccinellid beetle Adalia decempunctata (L.)  https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1958.tb00786.x - Escape responses by aphids to 10-spots  https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/20/7074 - Study about Adaline  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jen.12244  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10886-024-01544-4 https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2005/03/15.pdf https://journals.eco-vector.com/ecolgenet/article/download/13011/17441 - info on male-killing bacteria  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11222777/ - Genome sequence of the 10-spot ladybird https://influentialpoints.com/biocontrol/Adalia_decempunctata_ten-spot_ladybird.htm  https://www.monaconatureencyclopedia.com/adalia-bipunctata/?lang=en https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0449010X.1983.10704932 - Moses's Little Cow https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com/e/episode-14-ladybirds-and-religion-judaism-part-1/ (Listen on any podcast app)  Field Guide to Ladybirds by Roy et al, 2013 and 2018 A Natural History of the Ladybird Beetles by Mike Majerus    --  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloo

I interview Armando Rosario Lebrón, an entomologist who has recently moved from the USA to Wales, about the Trump administration's policies and how these are affecting entomology in the USA.  Mentioned in this episode:  https://cvrileyfoundation.org/charles-valentine-riley/ https://vancouverbeeproject.org/blog/the-usgs-bee-lab-is-at-risk-of-being-permanently-closed https://www.entsoc.org/membership https://americanentomologicalsociety.org/ https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com/e/episode-45-epilachna-varivestis-the-mexican-bean-beetle/ Armando's website: https://rosariolebronentomology.com -- Donate to me on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast Facebook: Hidden Wings and Bloodlust  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloodlust/id1476595771 

Find about a tiny but fascinating ladybird that is a voracious predator of citrus whitefly in the Mediterranean, Middle East and India.  http://www.agri.huji.ac.il/mepests/enemy/Serangium_montazerii/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280804703_Biology_and_predation_potential_of_the_Indian_ladybird_Serangium_montazerii_on_Bemisia_tabaci https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11594705/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/epp.12924 https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2232&context=agriculture https://databases.nbair.res.in/Featured_insects/Serangium-parcesetosum.php https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/47340/instance/5373111/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357780634_Rediscovery_of_Serangium_montazerii_Fursch_in_Georgia_and_updated_list_of_the_Coccinellidae_of_Georgia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussein-Ali_Montazeri - Information about Montazeri and his liberal beliefs.    Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast/ ---- Bsky: @psyllobora22 FB: Hidden Wings and Bloodlust

I discuss my recent trip to Italy and the ladybirds and other inverts I saw there.  Bsky: @psyllobora22 FB: Hidden Wings and Bloodlust Website: https://hiddenwingsandbloodlust.podbean.com  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hidden-wings-and-bloodlust/id1476595771

I discuss this recent arrival to the UK, discovered in the new forest over the summer.  Sources:  Andrew Jewels' Website: https://www.andrew-jewels.com  https://zin.ru/animalia/coleoptera/addpages/Andrey_Ukrainsky_Library/References_files/Moore78.pdf https://insecta.pro/taxonomy/1000974 https://pherobase.com/database/species/species-Calvia-decemguttata.php https://arthropodafotos.de/dbsp.php?lang=eng&sc=1&ta=t_35_coleo_pol_coc&sci=Calvia&scisp=decemguttata#:~:text=*Calvia%20decemguttata*%20is%20a%20beetle%20that%20belongs,*%20Japan%20*%20Damp%20forests%20and%20parks  Image from Insecta.pro (Photos: Ivan Tislenko, Yuri Semejkin). 

I talk about the origins of ladybirds.  Sources:  Spotlight Ladybirds - Richard Comont Ecology and behaviour of the ladybird beetles - Michael Majerus Evolution of food preferences in Coccinellidae - https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrkEIRN5sloBgIAIvoM34lQ;_ylu=Y29sbwNpcjIEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1759271758/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.sciencedirect.com%2fscience%2farticle%2fpii%2fS1049964409001455/RK=2/RS=4Wu5La0qsbIGD.kLV7qiidWHlxA-  https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/193/4/1294/6105037 https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-025-02174-2#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20Coccinellidae%20are%20recognized,20%2C21%2C22%5D.  

I speak to Joe Gray from the Ecological Citizen about Compassionate Entomology and how the concept of treating insects as individuals, taking into account their welfare, could revolutionise entomological research.  https://blog.ecologicalcitizen.net/2024/12/10/making-a-case-for-compassionate-entomology 

The second part of my conversation with John. We don't stick to ladybirds but talk about a wide range of wildlife topics. :)  Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts - Music by Debra Torrance. Buy my book! https://mybook.to/82BK2En Buy me a coffee - https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast 

Recently myself and my friend John Attiwell went to Norfolk. The previous year we had been to Scotland. We recorded a 2-part conversation - the first part is about ladybirds we have found. ;)  https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast Buy me a coffee at Ko-Fi :)  https://mybook.to/82BK2En - Buy my book! 

I talk to Michiel de Groot of the University of Ghent about his research on the notorious Laboulbeniales fungi, and the Hesperomyces genus which infect ladybirds - especially Harlequins.  Follow Michiel at @michieldegroot.bsky.social  https://beetlehangers.org/ Beetlehangers  https://www.dannyhaelewaters.com/ - Danny Haelewaters' research https://fun-dive.eu/ - Monitoring and mapping fungal diversity  -- https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast - Buy me a coffee on Ko-Fi  https://mybook.to/82BK2En - Buy my book!   

A little studied ladybird, but with some surprising facts mentioned in this episode.  https://www.ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast  Ladybirds in traditional medicine: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shafkat-Mir/publication/378176519_Ethnobiological_use_of_insects_in_traditional_medicine_and_cultural_practices_from_the_administrative_region_Rishikesh_Dehradun-India/links/65d4263d01325d46521570c8/Ethnobiological-use-of-insects-in-traditional-medicine-and-cultural-practices-from-the-administrative-region-Rishikesh-Dehradun-India.pdf 'Are we studying too few taxa'? (Mentions the chemical defence issue) https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2005/03/09.pdf  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018364719317732  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1995425517030106   Other info found on 'Field Guide to the Ladybirds of Britain and Ireland' by Helen Roy et al.  Correction: The Palearctic Region is Europe, North Africa and Asia all the way to Japan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palearctic_realm Music by Debra Torrance .vtt transcript now available in Podbean and other podcast apps :) 

All about the orange ladybird - one orange organism you will be glad to hear about in these bleak times.    Buy my book! https://mybook.to/82BK2En  Support me with Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/hwabpodcast  https://www.nature.com/articles/srep11021.pdf  https://www.academia.edu/download/90336212/latest.pdf https://www.gnhs.org.uk/gn25_3/weddle_halyzia16.pdf https://mahieu.org.uk/orange-ladybirds/  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01647959508684050    Ladybird Atlas 2025: https://biodiversityireland.ie/surveys/ladybird-atlas-2025/   

I'm gonna restart the @hwabpodcast again! 

I interview wildlife campaigner Richard Dowling (@DowlingWildlife on Twitter) about artificial grass. In this episode we talk about what the problems are with it, what the best low-maintenance plants are for your lawn as alternatives to grass, what to do...

I walk around a nature reserve near my house and look for ladybirds. Apologies in advance for the poor sound quality, I didn't really edit this and recorded it on a phone :) Music by Debra Torrance. Buy me a coffee: https://www.ko-fi.com/hwabpodcas...