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I found two black and red short caterpillars (about cm long) on one of my pumpkin plants today and the flower it was on was covered in black bits (couldn't tell if it was a fly or not).  I squished the caterpillars but anyone any ideas what it could be and if I need to do anything.  Thanks

Oh I was going to post about pumpkins! I have found on one of mine a lot of black things, I don't know if they are blackfly, they look a bit like it. Does that affect pumpkins? And should I just wash it off? Didn't see any caterpillars...

The black bits are most likely to be the caterpillars droppings.

Plus you get those little black slow moving beetles, about 1 or 2 mm long, inside the flowers sometimes - mainly in the males. They don't appear to impair pollination. Could it be them?

Droppings sounds right - the black stuff but mine were definitely caterpillars not beetles - they squished very easy!!! Yuk!