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Pollen beetles

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  • RoseVillaRoseVilla Posts: 44
    Mind you when I’m walking through swarms of them on a walk just now they are different I can’t take a picture of them as too difficult. They are like little flies 





    .m.h.ewerQ7SXc_2z said:
    Little pollen beetles in the garden are really ruining the enjoyment of my new garden. I am sort of Rurel backing onto a field a big open garden (which needs a lot doing to it) and I have all these little flies just hovering round in big groups so I can’t really enjoy sitting out there.

    Is there any to get rid of them 
    Little pollen beetles in the garden are really ruining the enjoyment of my new garden. I am sort of Rurel backing onto a field a big open garden (which needs a lot doing to it) and I have all these little flies just hovering round in big groups so I can’t really enjoy sitting out there.

    Is there any to get rid of them 
    Little pollen beetles in the garden are really ruining the enjoyment of my new garden. I am sort of Rurel backing onto a field a big open garden (which needs a lot doing to it) and I have all these little flies just hovering round in big groups so I can’t really enjoy sitting out there.

    Is there any to get rid of them 
    Little pollen beetles in the garden are really ruining the enjoyment of my new garden. I am sort of Rurel backing onto a field a big open garden (which needs a lot doing to it) and I have all these little flies just hovering round in big groups so I can’t really enjoy sitting out there.

    Is there any to get rid of them 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    They’re just harmless little midgy things that sort of hover in the sunshine above damp grass at this time of year. They’ll have disappeared in a week or two, in the meantime they’re invaluable food for small birds in the nesting season. 
    They don’t sting or bite so they’re not a problem… you’ll get used to them. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    They love my washing. I was amazed to find a a few on my white laundry basket today.
    Very early in the year must be the warm sun. Not sure you will get rid of them, think they like the trees nearby.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I thought I'd already replied to this question (or a very similar one) earlier today but I can't find it now (confused.com as per normal :|).
    All I can suggest is maybe try citronella candles in your seating area, plus insect repellent if they're the kind that bite you.
    I don't think I've ever seem pollen beetles flying, although I suppose they must. They normally hang out in flowers and aren't a problem unless you cut the flowers and bring them indoors.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • justflowersjustflowers Posts: 143
    I have never seen a pollen beetle before this year and I have grown flowers for cutting for years.  They don't seem to affect the plants in the garden, but fall from vases of cut flowers in droves - especially Sweet Peas.  Because they don't seem to harm the plants themselves I've decided  to leave them be as I don't use insecticides - would appreciate any tips for preventative measures though!
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    When you cut your flowers put them in water in a dark place but with an open light window or door … the beetles will leave the flowers and fly out to the light 😊 

    Pollen beetles can seem a nuisance, but they rise in their hundreds and thousands up into the sky where they are a vital food source for flocks of swifts. 
    😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,960
    I quite like them.



    But I wonder how many I may have inadvertently huffed while smelling the flowers.🤔
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    My granddaughters' primary school had yellow jerseys for sports in the summer.  They were all regularly covered in pollen beetles.   And the other things, as Dove suggested, sound like the little flies that hover about that occasionally you walk through.  All signs of a nice eco-diverse garden.  
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
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