Rosemary beetle
The rosemary beetle is a small, round beetle with shiny stripes of metallic green and purple. It looks like a tiny jewel sitting on the herbs in the garden. Its wings are short, so it mostly walks instead of flying.
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Fun facts
It was first found living outdoors in Britain in 1994, and by 2002 it was all over London.
Its larvae grow during the winter months and the new beetles come out in spring.
Gardeners can shake the beetles off onto a sheet of paper to move them.
It can fly short distances, but it would rather walk.
Most asked questions about Rosemary beetle
?What does the rosemary beetle eat?
Rosemary most of all, and also lavender and thyme.
?Is the rosemary beetle harmful?
Not to people. Lots of them can damage herb plants, so gardeners pick them off.
?How big is the rosemary beetle?
It is about 5 to 8 millimetres long.
Myth buster
Myth: The rosemary beetle comes from America, because its name is americana.
Truth: No. Its name is a mistake. It comes from southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Chrysolina americana
- Named by
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Chrysomelidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Chrysomelidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Chrysolina americana (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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