Clear skies. Light variable winds. Low West swell. Glassy this evening.

Tour Boats: 6

Chris brought out a group of visitors affiliated with Blyth Academy/International for a tour of the reserve and tower late this afternoon.

Great Race has a massive population of ladybugs. I first noticed them on my Fall shift, and I still find them all over the place. They are especially fond of hiding on firewood, behind door latches, and in the sedum (stonecrop). I also regularly find them inside my house, sometimes I’ll look down from my book in the evening and see one crawling on my shirt. I have no idea what the species is, or why they are so abundant, but if you know an entomologist who specializes in Ladybugs send them my way.

Family COCCINELLIDAE (Lady Beetles, Ladybird Beetles). Ladybugs appear as half-spheres, tiny, spotted, round or oval-shaped domes. They have short legs and antennae. Worldwide, about 6000 species and 360 genera are described and about 95 species (28 genera) occur in British Columbia.  Since the mid-1990s, an introduced species  Harmonia axyridis (Asian Lady Beetle) has exploded in abundance on the south coast, likely introduced as a pest control in agriculture. Many coccinellid species are be extremely variable in colour pattern. Common genus’ in BC include: Scymnus, a large genus in North America with 93 species (17 in British Columbia); The 16 British Columbia species of Hippodamia are among the most common lady beetles; And many of the 12 Coccinella species in British Columbia are common and widespread. Hibernating as adults, coccinellids sometimes congregate in huge masses in sheltered places such as buildings or rocky crevices. Most larvae and adults prey on soft bodied insects and mites, especially aphids and scale insects. Adults and larva of each species typically have the same eating habits and live on plants where their prey is common. Lady beetles are crucial for the control of aphids, scales and mites in agriculture and have long been used in biological control of these pests (From the UBC ‘E-Fauna BC’ website).Their distinctive spots and attractive colours are meant to make them unappealing to predators. Ladybugs can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. Their colouring is likely a reminder to any animals that have tried to eat their kind before: “I taste awful.” A threatened ladybug may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself.

-GIS work in the am
-General island and Science house tidy-up
-Hung a new flag
-Chris took my empty propane tank