Following the UK’s third heatwave of the summer, with temperatures climbing above 30C for consecutive days, countless Britons flocked to coastal destinations. However, beachgoers hoping for a peaceful day by the sea in Weston-super-Mare were met with an astonishing shock.
The Somerset town boasts one of Britain’s largest naturally occurring beaches. Its expansive sandy shoreline along the Bristol Channel is renowned for its classic seaside charm and attractions.
The destination also features a broad, level promenade complete with seating, ideal for visitors who wish to steer clear of the sand.
Given these attributes, one would expect the beach to be packed with sun-seekers during scorching summer weather. Instead, people chose alternative pursuits as the shoreline had become overrun with insects.
However, not everyone was aware of this situation, as mum Lauren Whitman turned to TikTok to express her bewilderment at discovering the deserted beach on a recent warm and sunny day.
“Wondering why the beach is so empty in 30+ degree sunshine,” she captioned her footage whilst filming the seemingly vacant coastline.
The family then decided to explore the beach for themselves, quickly discovering why others had avoided spending their day there.
The clip showed Lauren’s three-year-old son becoming smothered in ladybirds that were swarming across his shirt.
She then went on to film a nearby white structure, where hundreds of ladybirds could be seen buzzing through the air between where she was standing and the building.
Lauren recorded one of the insects crawling on her arm and then panned the camera to reveal more on her stomach. Her partner also featured in a clip covered with ladybirds on his back.
“Never experienced anything like it,” Lauren captioned her video, which quickly went viral with over 1.7 million views in just two days.
The comment section was soon filled with reactions from viewers sharing their own thoughts and fears about the ladybird infastation.
“I am absolutely petrified of ladybirds. I think I’d pass away,” admitted one terrified viewer.
“Wait, so there’s a flying ant day and a ladybird day?” another viewer askeed, leading to a response about the unusually high number of ladybirds this year.
Another said: “This year there are sooooo many ladybirds. I keep saying it feels like flying ant day all the time with all the swarms! It’s sooo gross!!!”.
Despite the shock of these swarms across the UK, PestUK assures that ladybirds are harmless to humans and such infestations are typically short-lived.