Rosemary Beetle - Chrysolina americana

Attractive, 8mm long, metallic green beetle with purple stripes.

To be found on Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme, Sage and some other related plants.

May to October.

The soft-bodied grubs are greyish white with five darker longitudinal lines; fully grown larvae are 5 to 8mm long.

The beetle is a native of southern Europe that has become an established pest in Britain since the 1990s especially in the south east of England. It seems to be rapidly colonising the country.

Numbers in Leicestershire and Rutland have increased rapidly in recent years.

Eakring Birds website