Pollen beetles

Pollen beetles are small green, bronzy or black shiny beetles that visit the flowers of a wide range of ornamental plants and vegetables, where they feed on pollen. They rarely cause damage in gardens and are part of garden wildlife.

Pollen beetles belong to the beetle family Nitidulidae, which also includes the sap

Sap is a fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, in a similar way to blood moving through our veins. Phloem sap carries the sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis down to roots and other storage organs, as well as carrying minerals and hormones. Xylem sap is watery and transports nutrients absorbed by the roots upwards to the rest of the plant. Some plants leak sap from wounds or pruning cuts, and this is known as bleeding.

beetles. There are about 90 species of beetle in this family, many feed on fungi, sap runs or dried carrion. About half the nitidulid beetles are pollen beetles belonging to the subfamily Meligethinae. Most are dark in colour and they feed in flowers and flower buds as larvae. The adults feed on pollen of a greater range of plants than the larvae. Generally these beetles go unseen in gardens with the exceptions of Meligethes aenus and M. viridescens. These two species can damage commercial brassica crops such as oilseed rape. In gardens they can appear in large numbers especially when the main host is harvested, although they rarely cause damage.
More information on Nitidulidae from UK Beetles

Pollen beetles are about 2-3 mm long and are black or greenish bronze with clubbed antennae. They crawl around in flowers as they feed on the pollen. Common species are Meligethes aeneus and M. viridescens, both of which breed in the flowers buds of brassica seed crops, including oilseed rape. Large populations of pollen beetles are more likely to occur in rural areas in the vicinity of oil-seed rape crops.

None of the 36 species of pollen beetle in Britain cause damage to garden plants and so can be considered part of the biodiversity

The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems.

gardens support. They all develop in the flower buds of wild flowers or agricultural crops. The adult beetles are much less fussy about the flowers they visit and they eat the pollen of a wide range of plants. Yellow flowers seem to be particularly attractive. Pollen beetles are not directly harmful to the blooms and they may assist with pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from a male anther to a female stigma, either within the same flower or between two different flowers. It’s usually followed by fertilisation and seed production. Some flowers are pollinated by insects or other small creatures, others are wind pollinated. It’s also possible to pollinate flowers by hand, if you want to breed new plants or ensure successful pollination when there are few natural pollinators.

. The beetles can come indoors on cut flowers, once inside the beetles start wandering around and head towards windows.

The presence of pollen beetles in flowers should be treated as part of garden biodiversity

The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems.

while they are in the garden. Here are some ways to manage them:

• Cut flowers can be made relatively beetle-free by shaking or tapping them out of the blooms
• If shaking or tapping is not possible, place the cut blooms in a vase or bucket, and put the vase or bucket in a shed or garage near an open door or window for a few hours during the day. The beetles will be attracted to the brighter light coming from outside and will leave the blooms
• On a small scale, prevent beetles from getting into some show blooms (e.g., roses) by enclosing the flowers in bags made from fine meshed material, such as nylon tights or muslin. The bags need to be in place when the flowers are still in tight buds
• Growers of sweet peas and other flowers for exhibition purposes sometimes erect tents of insect-proof mesh .

Pollen beetles overwinter as adults in sheltered places. They emerge in spring and can often be found in Narcissus (daffodil) flowers at that time. The females lay eggs in the flower buds of suitable host plants, which are various wild flowers and some agricultural crops, such as oil seed rape and other brassicas grown for seed. No garden flowers or vegetables are damaged by the eggs. or the larva

A young, immature stage of development. The plural is larvae.  Commonly used for insects where the early stages look very different from the adult e.g. caterpillar (larva) and butterfly (adult).

. When the larvae have completed their feeding inside flower buds, they go into the soil to pupate. Adult beetles emerge in July-August and seek out flowers where they feed on pollen.