ID this bug?

That's much better, can see it now - be good if I knew what it was - we need Fractal or Moongrower, they're good at these things. I'll have a flick through my books though...

Thanks so much. This one was busy munching away as I was taking the picture, there is a hole underneath it. They have a matt looking shell back and they are about 6-7mm in length.

Reckon they're weevils or a leaf beetle of some kind - might be worth drenching with a pesticide spray - the bush they're on, what does it do in terms of flowering and when? And it looks evergreen, is it?

It is evergreen, not sure what it is called (I didn't plant it). It usually has small white flowers at the end during summer, but to be honest I haven't noticed it flowering this year, perhaps because it was infested before I realised.

The small white flowers are in clusters.

I think this might be a viburnum and if it is, what you're looking at is viburnum beetle - the larvae do a lot of damage earlier in the year, and this is the hatched out beetle, which continues to eat the plant. You will have to get a treatment for it - have a look at the garden centre (my book mentions several, but the EEC keeps taking stuff off the market and they're probably not available any more). Check in the spring and at the first sign of larvae hatching (which they will, there'll be eggs under the leaves which overwinter) and spray according to the instructions on your product.

Yes, I think it may be viburnum, I have just been looking at evergreen shubs on the net and this is what I would say it most closely looks like. I will get to the garden centre asap, this sounds awful. I have also read something about a smell that these beetles make when they have been laying eggs, well there has been a definate odour around this bush for the last few weeks, I thought it was the leaves rotting underneath the bushes, and that was one of the reasons why I cut it back. The smell has not completely disappeared, but it is alot better since I did the cutting. I would not have linked it to the bugs until now. Thanks for your help.

Its funny you should mention a smell - many people tell me they don't like this plant because of the smell, but perhaps its because they're infested rather than it being the shrub itself! I don't think any treatment you carry out this year will do very much - see what you can find treatment wise, but its next year where you need to be really rigorous and vigilant.

They are Vine Weevil, You need Bayer garden provado vine weevil killer, systemic. 400ml, at about £5.99. You can also put branches of Alder on the ground round the Viburnum to collect the beetles before they hibernate.

Yes, spring time. I have not previously noticed this smell. It is definately a new thing, and quite offensive. It was very offensive prior to me cutting it back. Anyway, thanks so much for your help, got to the bottom of it! Very pleased. I just hope I can solve the problem next year. Although, from what I have read, it is going to be hard to get rid of. It's like you said, the timing of spraying is cruicial. Its that or digging the entire thing up and burning it. I don't want to do the latter. Thanks again.

Thanks also Doctorbob1, I will be getting the spray next spring time, I will see if I can get the branches of alder also for immediate treatment as the Beetles are all over now.