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Bugs
Lynn OShea
Posts: 6
in Talkback
we are having a big problem with small black hard shelled bugs. The have decimated my cut and come again lettuce and it looks like they have laid eggs. Any suggestions on how we can get rid of them
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Posts
Can we have a photo please Lynn
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Not sure if these will help. Hope so
unfortunately not, but they do fly all over me and anything else
They certainly look like beetles.....
Darkling beetle?
No not darkling beetle. Have looked at photo of that and definitely not them. In sunshine they look almost metallic, they are rounder and smaller. Hard to get a decent photo
That would be exciting - they're really endangered https://www.buglife.org.uk/news-&-events/news/spotlight-darkling-beetle-review-highlights-threats-one-britain’s-most-endangered
But if Lynn has them in such huge numbers I suspect they're not the ones
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Here's a zoom of the original photo:
Compare to the black pollen beetle (Fabogethes nigrescens):
http://bugguide.net/node/view/513555/bgimage
Why a pollen beetle is eating your lettuces is, however, a mystery!
I did wonder about pollen beetles Bob, but I couldn't see it clearly before you 'blew it up'
and I too am puzzled as to why they're on lettuce - slightly yellowish lettuce, but definitely not providing the beetles with pollen 
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I wonder if there are also flea beetles present and it is those which are causing the damage with the pollen beetles just being incidental, Dove?
It would be difficult to tell as the flea beetles would jump off at the slightest disturbance.
Thank you. Is there anthing to get rid of them ????