Holiday-goers have been left confused after hundreds of insects were seen flying around.
Those heading to Liverpool John Lennon Airport in recent days have reported seeing large swarms of what appears to be ladybirds or beetles outside the airport. One woman even had one land on her head as soon as she got out of the car.
Janet Lumley, from Wigan, was flying out from Liverpool John Lennon Airport when she saw what she described as "hundreds of ladybird or beetle type creatures". She told The ECHO: "There are hundreds and hundreds of beetle type insects outside the airport.
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"They are everywhere. More so outside but some are flying inside. I got out the car and one flew into my handbag and then another landed on my head.
"There are hundreds on the pavement some dead but most alive. It’s really unusual."
Although ladybirds, also known as Coccinellidae, are usually harmless but they can quickly become a nuisance. They can range in size from one to 10mm and are round or oval shaped.
Over at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, staff have also reportedly been commenting on the number of ladybirds flying around as they believe it could be related to the farming fields nearby. The ECHO understands the "strange phenomenon" has been spotted at a similar time of year in the past.
Operations Director Paul Staples said: "The warm weather appears to have brought on a flurry of activity in the insect world. Given the large area of grass an airfield has, from time to time this strange phenomenon manifests itself in lots of hatching beetles or ladybirds all appearing within a few days of each other.
"The ladybirds or beetles people are reporting are harmless but do seem to like high visibility vests that many staff wear or bright coloured clothing."
Ladybirds often start to appear more as the temperature starts to cool around September and October. They start to search for warm spots to hibernate during the winter and this can often lead them to people’s homes.
Ladybirds usually hide in groups which tends to mean that if you see one or two of them in your home there is likely to be more to follow. But they can also find their way into your home through windows or small cracks.
Despite being unlikely to cause any damage, they can be a nuisance and so anyone wanting to avoid a home invasion should make sure they do not have any cracks or holes where they can get in. If you do start to find them around it is important that you act quickly to get rid of them as their scent can attract more ladybirds to the spot.
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