Rosemary Beetle

When Helen came to my door and asked what they were, I'm afraid my reply could only be, a couple of f***ing beetles.
Caught in the act, they weren't going far but the ID didn't take long.

The Rosemary Beetle, Chrysolina americana, is native of Eastern and South Mediterranean regions of Europe. First found in the grounds of RHS Wisley in 1994 they seemingly disappeared for nine years only to be found again back on site. Soon there were many sightings around London and near Reading in Berkshire. By 2005 there were enough of them to warrant their status as amongst the top 10 pest enquiries to the RHS. I hadn't seen one until today but am not far from Wisley. If you do see them, the RHS would like to know!

Both the imago (adult beetle) and their larvae live on and devour Rosemary but also can be found on other similar plants such as Lavender, Thyme and Sage.
I must say they are very pretty but they have no natural predators. The advice is to pick them off and kill them or use pesticides. Those who read of all my bees dying yesterday will know I'm not that favourable to the latter. These very colourful metallic beetles can't fly, seem to be slow moving, so shouldn't be difficult to catch. They apparently shouldn't be mating before late summer!

Thank you all for your comments about the bee's. Loosing them is incredibly sad but hopefully the garden will have more before long. I added a note to the blip as it was assumed pesticides were the cause of death. I can honestly say that the most likely cause was cold and starvation. If you haven't read the blip, please go back to yesterday.