Swarms of diseased ladybirds may have reached Huddersfield after swooping in on Autumn winds from Asia and North America.

The invaders, which have black instead of red wings, not only look different to the domestic ladybird but also pose a risk to them as they carry a sexually-transmitted infection called Laboulbeniales fungal disease.

In recent days the foreign invaders, known as Harlequin Ladybirds, have been spotted across the UK, including in Manchester, Southampton and Peterborough.

Swarms of ladybirds spotted by Matt Chamberlain in Greenhead Park

They may also have landed in West Yorkshire.

Matt Chamberlain, an artist based in Huddersfield, came across swarms of the creepy crawlies in Greenhead Park.

Some of the black-winged ladybirds spotted by Matt Chamberlain in Huddersfield

Some of them had the black-winged appearance of the Harlequin Ladybird.

Matt said he believed the ladybirds he saw were of the Harlequin variety.

Video Loading

Pest controllers have reassured people that the Harlequin ladybirds are not harmful to humans.

Steve McGrail, director of pest control company Pro Kill Environment, recommended sealing windows to make sure they don’t get in homes.

He said: “They are a non-indigenious species. They are coming inside in large numbers. They usually cluster around window frames and they cluster together to gather heat and hibernate in winter months.”

The video (above) of ladybirds was filmed recently in Mirfield.