Rosemary Beetles
Hi Bugman
I emailed you a few days ago regarding the beetles feeding on my rosemary plants, well ive done some research and ive discovered they are Rosemary Beetles ! Apparently they are new to the UK and are the Royal Horticultrual Society’s NO.4 Pest ! they like rosemary, sage, thyme and lavender. They are native to south Europe. A laboratory culture of the rosemary beetle has been established in the entomology laboratory at Wisley where its life cycle is under investigation. Preliminary results of this research indicate that rosemary beetle adults remain inactive on their host plants during the summer months (June to August). In late August and September the beetles resume feeding, mate and begin to lay eggs, which they continue to do on warm winter days until spring. The eggs hatch within two weeks and the larvae feed for approximately three weeks before entering the soil to pupate. The pupal stage lasts for a further two to three weeks before adults emerge.More info available at
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/projects/rosemary_beetle.asp
If you do find these on your plants its best to remove them by hand, since you would most likely would use the herbs they feed off.
Thank you so much for the information, photo and link.