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my rosemary and lavender have been attacked and the leaves eaten. this has been going on for some time now - but today for the first time i noticed the potential culprits.

ladybird sized beetles with a shiny greenish-silvery shell

what are they, how much damage are they going to do, how can i get rid of them (other then picking them off and crushing - control of the larvae?)

many thanks

found something on this - looks like the rosemary beetle

maybe i should have googled first, then asked questions   :-[

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4916634.stm

They (rosemary beetles) got a few lines in the Guardian today.

Rosemary beetle can pretty much devastate a rosemary bush. The RHS advice is pretty good http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0206/rosemarybeetle.asp. From experience the bashing of the bush to knock them off does seem to work reasonably well. Although the adults are easy to spot & squash, the larvae are a bit more tricky.

Yep, I've got them too - on my rosemary and lavender plants and also on a sage bush. Thanks for the RHS link, looks like it's pick and squish time...

Cheers,
Rob ;)

rob,

i am trying the best i can - dont think we can get rid of them now but i am trying to control the population so my herbs have a chance. spraying is a nono as want to eat the herbs.

Haven't seen any in or around Derby yet! Do have quite a lot of sheild bugs, what do they eat?
???