With only a few days to go at this house sit, we have been invaded by coccinelles , or in English – ladybugs or ladybirds, depending on your preference.

Now that doesn’t sound too bad really, but their numbers are incredible.

Mick and I have noticed them flying around in large numbers in the yard over the last week, and we have spotted a few in the downstairs guest room. While Mick was mowing the lawn a few days ago, minus a shirt, he was actually being bitten by some that were flying around.

As per usual, before we leave a long house sit in particular, we spend the last day or so cleaning up. This morning I started by knocking down a few spiders’ webs before dusting and preparing to vacuum tomorrow. (Our host returns tomorrow evening). Once I’d finished on the top floor, where we have been sleeping for the last 4 weeks, I moved to the middle level where we have usually spent the last hour in the evening watching some television program. It was here I discovered multiple hidden colonies (I made that collective noun up) of coccinelles.

As I moved the curtains to dust behind them I discovered this.

I screamed for Mick to come, and as we moved other curtains we found oodles more of these insects. As we moved them, many of them flew off to the next curtain, which made the task to get them pretty difficult.

I had read that the use of insecticide is not that effective as they are not that susceptible to the sprays. But, I ignored that advice and sprayed surface spray around the edges of the windows and doors and along the curtain tracks where I could see hundreds of them.

Mick and I spent the next hour vacuuming and sweeping up hundreds of the insects, before deciding to leave the remaining ones to ‘settle’ again so we could (hopefully) collect them too.

As we did this, we were getting covered in the ladybugs – on our clothes, in our hair and even on our glasses. I commented to Mick that it felt like we were in the horror movie “The Birds”.

Perhaps I was being a little overdramatic.

There was a huge colony behind this painting as well.

I did some research about these insects – Harlequin Ladybirds – which is what I think they are. They have been known to infest properties in Europe, particularly after a hot summer, preparing to find themselves a crevice in which to spend the winter.

I was surprised that out next door neighbours here didn’t seem to be having the same problem. But that too was explained with further research. Apparently once the ladybugs have found a home, they will return each year because they leave some scent that is picked up and guides them to an ideal place – a space with loads of crevices and cracks such as an old French farm house. I plan on checking with our host when she returns if this has ever happened before. If not, I am sure it will next October / November.

This was Mick’s second ‘pay load’ from the vacuum cleaner.

Before we arrived this time to sit for our friend in Fenouillet, we knew she had dealt with an infestation of moths, during the middle of summer. She was posting photos of huge swarms of the moths outside her windows during the evening when they were attracted by the lights inside. They were pretty serious and numerous articles appeared about the ‘plague’ of moths in France this summer.

Since we have been here in October we have experienced an infestation of Asiatic Hornets (frelons), yard invasions and destruction from wild boar (sanglier), and now the coccinelles.

Got me wondering about the seven plagues of the Bible.

I guess there are a few others our friend could yet experience to make up her seven.

The plagues were water turned into blood, frogs, lice, gnats, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness for three days and killing of firstborn sons.

I definitely hope not!!