The metallic green and purple stripes, together with double row of pits on the green, are the distinctive features of the rosemary beetle, Chrysolina americana.
If you’ve seen them too, then help with the RHS research for this beetle here
So pretty, but so destructive: The rosemary beetle is also keen on lavender, sage, thyme and mints
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Don’t despair. I found them on mine and picked off about two dozen on the first day. Subsequent searches have found less and less and yesterday and today none. My rosemary is in a pot so I added more compost and gave the plant a liquid feed. You can probably save yours too but be vigilant and look for and demolish the beetles daily.
Picking and squishing routine commenced as of today!
Oh no, not another bug to worry about, I already spend ages picking off lily and asparagus beetles. Still he is rather beautiful, he looks as if he is made out of copper. And a great shot.
They are very beautiful and I feel slightly guilty that I’ve spent the last week throwing them on the ground and stamping on them!
This was a recurrent visitor when I had the lavender and Perovskia beds but as has been mentioned daily checking and squishing will keep them under control; they never became a problem. Some pests you need to worry about others are just an irritant.
Good to hear that they are so controllable. I have been squishing them since posting and there are fewer each day.
Bad bug, beautiful photo!
Thanks.
It reminds me of a beetle bracelet my Mama used to have, though I don’t know why, because it was green! Lovely picture – I’ll watch out for it!
We found it for the first time last year on some nepeta, but there are definitely more around this year and I guess that they are making their way north.
A beautiful if bad bug, I shall be on the look out.
The warm winter has probably helped it get off to a fast start this year. I hadn’t seen any at home last year, although the municipal rosemary planting at the local swimming pool was covered.
Your photos are exquisite, Allison. A beautiful beetle, even if it is destructive. Handpicking is your best bet. I used to have Colorado potato beetles and was able to eliminate them entirely by that method.
This is the first year that I have seen it in the garden and it has not done much damage yet, but there are a lot of them (but fewer each day as I destroy them). I have seen the decimation that they can cause though, so I am glad that everyone thinks that with attention that they are controllable.
Handpicking is that works. Did a lot of it in my youth 🙂
.Yes, I am now resigned to a daily picking session and it is getting better.
Oh no! It is a pretty little fellow but then so is lily beetle I suppose and we dont want them either!
Exactly. I am a sucker for everything bright and shiny or with metallic sheen, but I wasn’t happy to see them! Unfortunately they’ve been established in Cambridge for a while now, just not in my garden.