Ladybirds may look cute, but one species of the brightly-coloured insect is fast becoming a big threat to British wildlife.
Cute... but don"t be fooled. Alongside grey squirrels, brown rats and bullfrogs, the Harlequin ladybird is a non-native species that is settled in the UK - and causing havoc to existing animals.
The impact of these alien creatures is estimated to be costing the British economy some £2bn to control.
The Government is so concerned they are considering banning the sale of some non-native animals and plants to stop British species being wiped out by foreign wildlife.
Biodiversity minister Joan Ruddock said: "Invasive non-native species pose a very serious threat to our native plants, animals and the local environments they live in, costing the British economy around £2bn per year.
"The threat is greater than ever with climate change.
"It is vital that we do all we can to prevent these species from establishing in the wild." Knotweed is an expensive problemA total of 74 species, including the rosy-faced lovebird, crayfish, and water hyacinths, are being considered for inclusion on a list preventing their release.
Many of the animals, fish, plants and birds on the planned hit-list are already established in the wild but further releases could only take place under licence.
A survey in 2005 found there were 2,721 non-native species in the country, of which 66% were plants.
The cost of removing Japanese knotweed from Britain has been estimated by plant charity Plantlife at £1.56bn. And attempts to eradicate rhododendron from Snowdonia National Park have cost £45m. A ban on the sale of some particularly invasive species is an existing power that has never been used before.
