The Munchers

I've been tracking a new site for the invading Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana) in Leicester for the last year. I kept finding larvae and pupae which were difficult to identify definitely but it's taken until now to find any adults. When I checked, someone else had already recorded them at this site - not altogether surprising for a day-glo fluorescent-striped beetle! Truth be told, they don't do that much damage, and the RHS says: "Host plants often survive light infestations without any noticeable adverse affects and so control is not usually necessary ... Hand picking can help to keep beetle numbers below the level at which serious damage occurs". Put the insecticide away and stop the insect apocalypse.