We are doing battle with the rosemary beetle.
It is a pretty little thing with it’s purple and green stripes.
But left to it’s own devices, it will devour the rosemary bush.
And it’s cunning because the larvae are a pale grey white, almost impossible to distinguish from the rosemary bush stems.
We are picking them off daily. 25 was our biggest haul!
Although officially at war, my 4 year old is fascinated to see the ugly little grubs grow into the glorious gowned fully grown beetle. And to discover another bug that does an awesome transformation as part of its lifecycle.
And she loves to count and see if we can beat our record.
Am obviously not the happiest about our Rosemary beetle invasion, but the beetles in the garden are super interesting bugs for kids to explore.
They nearly all have camouflaged young. They all transform themselves in their lifecycle from larvae to adult. And they let kids see how different species adapt to a very specific environment.
And they’re a great opportunity for experimenting in getting rid of pesky pests naturally!!!
So even if you’re luckily free from rosemary beetle do check out who else you can find. We’d love to hear all about who’s living in your garden! Do share below.
And for more ideas for getting down with nature read our other nature notes …
And sign up for my newsletter for ideas for enjoying nature throughout the year …
.
[…] I put feeders right in the middle of the areas where I have the most problem with pests e.g. my rosemary. When the small birds come to the feeder they also gobble up pesky rosemary beetles. […]