The last couple of weeks has seen a huge increase in the numbers of
little black flower (pollen?) beetles. Now reaching a stage where
anything in the garden that is yellow quickly becomes coated in a
writhing mass of black beetles.

Courgette flowers are particularly badly affected. Even seemingly inert
yellow objects like my neighbours "marigold" yellow rubber kitchen
gloves get coated. Marigolds are just about the only yellow flower in
the garden that is not submerged under a layer of black beetles.

I made the mistake last week of walking outside in a yellow sweat shirt
and was instantly plastered in the things too.

Any ideas what makes them appear in such huge numbers all of a sudden?
Flowers are a bit thin on the ground at the moment after a cool damp
fortnight. Does anything bother to eat them?

I don't remember having this problem last year.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:54:39 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

The last couple of weeks has seen a huge increase in the numbers of
little black flower (pollen?) beetles. Now reaching a stage where
anything in the garden that is yellow quickly becomes coated in a
writhing mass of black beetles.

Courgette flowers are particularly badly affected. Even seemingly inert
yellow objects like my neighbours "marigold" yellow rubber kitchen
gloves get coated. Marigolds are just about the only yellow flower in
the garden that is not submerged under a layer of black beetles.

I made the mistake last week of walking outside in a yellow sweat shirt
and was instantly plastered in the things too.

Any ideas what makes them appear in such huge numbers all of a sudden?
Flowers are a bit thin on the ground at the moment after a cool damp
fortnight. Does anything bother to eat them?

I don't remember having this problem last year.

Are they that much of a problem then?
I rather like the contrast of shiny little black dots against the
flowers - and I've always assumed they're part of the pollination
process.

Bit of a bummer if you want cut flowers for the house, I suppose!

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

Martin Brown muttered:

The last couple of weeks has seen a huge increase in the numbers of
little black flower (pollen?) beetles. Now reaching a stage where
anything in the garden that is yellow quickly becomes coated in a
writhing mass of black beetles.

Courgette flowers are particularly badly affected. Even seemingly inert
yellow objects like my neighbours "marigold" yellow rubber kitchen
gloves get coated. Marigolds are just about the only yellow flower in
the garden that is not submerged under a layer of black beetles.

I made the mistake last week of walking outside in a yellow sweat shirt
and was instantly plastered in the things too.

Any ideas what makes them appear in such huge numbers all of a sudden?
Flowers are a bit thin on the ground at the moment after a cool damp
fortnight. Does anything bother to eat them?

I don't remember having this problem last year.

Regards,

Apparently, they are prevalent around fields of oil-seed rape (yellow
flowers again, although now its gone to seed).

Martin Brown muttered:

The last couple of weeks has seen a huge increase in the numbers of
little black flower (pollen?) beetles. Now reaching a stage where
anything in the garden that is yellow quickly becomes coated in a
writhing mass of black beetles.

Courgette flowers are particularly badly affected. Even seemingly inert
yellow objects like my neighbours "marigold" yellow rubber kitchen
gloves get coated. Marigolds are just about the only yellow flower in
the garden that is not submerged under a layer of black beetles.

I made the mistake last week of walking outside in a yellow sweat shirt
and was instantly plastered in the things too.

Any ideas what makes them appear in such huge numbers all of a sudden?
Flowers are a bit thin on the ground at the moment after a cool damp
fortnight. Does anything bother to eat them?

I don't remember having this problem last year.

Regards,

They are particularly prevalent around fields of oil-seed rape (yellow
flowers again although now maybe it's gone to seed, they're descending on
your garden). We've had them as well intermittently.

In message , Stephen Howard
writes
On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:54:39 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

Courgette flowers are particularly badly affected.

Any ideas what makes them appear in such huge numbers all of a sudden?

I don't remember having this problem last year.

Are they that much of a problem then?
I rather like the contrast of shiny little black dots against the
flowers - and I've always assumed they're part of the pollination
process.

This is in an entirely different league. I am talking about so many
pollen beetles on most yellow flowers (and objects) that it is almost
impossible to tell their true colour. It looks more like something off a
sci-fi movie. (Same sort of density as you get with bad aphid
infestation on soft plant stems)

Some are on orange flowers and white washing as well.

As Magwitch has pointed out in another posting they are associated with
oilseed rape - and guess what the local landowner is harvesting at the
moment (at least when it is dry enough to put tractors on the land).

Evidently the beetles stay on the rape long after the flowers have gone.
Harvesting would appear to displace them in plague quantities. I guess
we were unlucky enough to be downwind of them this year.

At the moment it is cold and raining hard so things are a bit quieter.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown