Meligethes aeneus, Pollen Beetle

Common Name: Pollen Beetle

Meligethes aeneus, more commonly known as a Pollen Beetle, is a small black beetle with a metallic black or blue-green sheen. There are several very similar pollen beetles but Meligethes aeneus is the most common, particularly early in the year.

It can be found on most flowers and particularly common on fields of Oil Seed Rape. On the wing from spring to late autumn, they are attracted to yellow flowers and indeed most things yellow, including clothing and tennis balls.

They occur in large numbers, feeding mainly on pollen but sometimes gnawing on the flower parts. They are an important pollinator though can be a pest of Oil Seed Rape. The larvae feed on the sexual parts of flowers of plants in the Cabbage family, causing the flower to abort. Very common and often abundant particularly in England and Wales.

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