Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Trebor on April 27, 2009, 14:13

Title: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: Trebor on April 27, 2009, 14:13
Checking my ‘grapefruit’ slug bait the other day and came across two shiney black beetles with four orange spots on their backs. Checked around the web and they don’t look like weevils and are too long for ladybirds. The closest I can find is a leaf beetle, but couldn’t see one with all black body and the four round orange spots. Sorry no picture – but can somebody identify these as friend of foe please?
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: Martin on April 27, 2009, 14:54
Are you sure it isn't a Harlequin ladybird?
See here (http://www.harlequin-survey.org/downloads/Ladybird%20descriptions_Info%20pack_NEW_v.5.pdf) for an identification guide.

If so, the RHS has some gardening advice here (http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0108/harlequinladybird.asp).
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: paintedlady on April 27, 2009, 15:04
Oh, I remember seeing this on the tv a few months back (Countryfile?) - if I recall (but I could be wrong), the Harlequin ladybird is an invader and not good news for our British species
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: Trebor on April 27, 2009, 16:29
Not a ladybird – all black face and body, with only colour being the orange spots. It was beetle like, about the width of a ladybird but about twice the length and very shiny.

Thanks for having a go though!
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: 8doubles on April 27, 2009, 16:54
Don`t know if there`s a round spotted version of this fella,

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=black+and+red+froghopper+photo&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: sunshineband on April 27, 2009, 23:03
From your description I think this is a sexton beetle:

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/sexton.htm

There is a picture here so you can check  :D
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: Trebor on April 28, 2009, 09:46
From your description I think this is a sexton beetle:

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/sexton.htm

There is a picture here so you can check  :D

It could be that - the spots on the one I found were more circular and distinct like say the four spots on a dice, but I guess the colour could vary. I will try and get a picture next time! Thanks for the help.
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: EDITIAN on July 15, 2011, 15:03
I have just found a gathering of these beetles - small, shiny black with four orange spots close together on the back - underneath some onions that were drying on a patio. They appeared to come from the cracks in the paving blocks and retreated there soon after I moved the onions. Never seen them before but they look too small and the wrong shape for ladybirds. They escaped too quickly for me to take a picture.

If anyone has a clue what they are I'd be very interested to know. Many thanks.
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: DD. on July 15, 2011, 15:09
Not ladbybird larvae?

Scroll halfway down.

http://plymouthenvironmentcentre.org.uk/environment/green_gardens.php

They can vary a bit.
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: lazza on July 15, 2011, 17:37
One of these:

http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds6/insectinfocusglischrochilushortensis.htm (http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds6/insectinfocusglischrochilushortensis.htm)

They feed on tree sap, but also over-ripe fruit...
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: gobs on July 15, 2011, 19:08
Not ladbybird larvae?

Scroll halfway down.

http://plymouthenvironmentcentre.org.uk/environment/green_gardens.php

They can vary a bit.

Most likely it is.
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: Endymion on July 15, 2011, 23:01
Could it be a Sap Beetle (Glischrochilus hortensis)? The description seems to match pictures of one on I-Spot (http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/142981) and another on Wild about Britain (http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/archive/showphoto.php/photo/98548/ppuser/433)

Hope it's okay to post the image that's at this url http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/archive/showphoto.php/photo/98548/ppuser/433 I don't know how to make the picture smaller.

(http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/archive/data/82/Glischrochilus_hortensis_poss_pse_resized_IMG_8844.jpg)

If it is this beetle it isn't an enemy, so there's no need to reach for the insecticide
Title: Re: Black beetle with four orange spots – friend of foe?
Post by: sunshineband on July 16, 2011, 10:06
If this is your beetle, his other name is the picnic beetle  :lol: :lol:

Only a pest if you have lots of over ripe fruit around I think  :)