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sjw

By Sjw

gloucestershire, United Kingdom

I have lots of tiny black beetle like insects on the top of cosmos and other daisy type flowers will they do the plant and flower harm or should I spray them asap




Answers

 

Do you mean blackfly? Spray for aphids if you do, but don't spray open flowers, and spray in the evening when the bees aren't working.

29 Jun, 2010

 

NO!!!!

If they are indeed tiny beetle-like insects (rather than fly-like) and are on the flowers rather than the foliage then they are pollen beetles, which, as their names suggests, feed on pollen. They were amongst the first of all insect groups to evolve - well before the flying insects - and are the principle pollinators of "primative" flowers like Magnolia. They are very much goodies, not baddies. :-)

29 Jun, 2010

 

Once the oil seed rape is harvested, all these horrible pollen beetles get displaced and come to our gardens.
I'd agree with Ilex that that is what they are. They only affect the appearance of the flowers.

29 Jun, 2010

How do I say thanks?

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