Is this an asparagus beetle?

[mrbadexample]

I've got a good few of these on my asparagus:



Sorry, they're a bit tricky to photograph.

They don't look like the asparagus beetle I see when I Google them.

Friend or foe?

Cheers,
MBE

[mcdood]

I have no beetle knowledge but I'm Okish at googling. I think it looks a bit like a cockchafer which sounds like the sort of beetle you wouldn't want in your pants

[RedRuth]

They don't look like Asparagus beetle to me, I grow asparagus and squash the beetles by hand so I'm fairly familiar with them! They're more brightly coloured and smaller. Unless the beetles in the Midlands are different .......

[Jungle Jane]

They look like these & they eat lots of different plants,have you seen them on anything else? They could’ve blown in from where they originated from do neighbours have them too?
https://www.first-nature.com/insects...-horticola.php

[mrbadexample]

They don't look like Asparagus beetle to me, I grow asparagus and squash the beetles by hand so I'm fairly familiar with them! They're more brightly coloured and smaller. Unless the beetles in the Midlands are different .......

I had asparagus beetle at the old house, so whilst it didn't look familiar you never know. Cunning buggers, beetles.

They look like these & they eat lots of different plants,have you seen them on anything else? They could’ve blown in from where they originated from do neighbours have them too?
https://www.first-nature.com/insects...-horticola.php

That looks likely, thanks. I've found plenty of pupae / larvae when I've dug new borders etc so know there was something about. I'm not too bothered then - I'll leave them be. At least until I start tackling my lawn, which is host to the national collection of Taraxacum amongst other things.

[Snoop Puss]

I agree with mcdood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockchafer

Edited: having looked at Jungle Jane's link, I wonder if you might have both. The photo of the individual insect looks to have a brown head, whereas in the photo of a number of them, they look to have darker heads.

[Penellype]

I've got a couple of these at the allotment today and just googled and came to the conclusion they are garden chafers, as in Jungle Jane's link. I've also had a few cockchafers - these are much bigger (at least an inch long) and have much paler front ends.

[mrbadexample]

I think it was just a bit of a panic seeing about half a dozen clambering over the asparagus - when things appear mob-handed it's normally a bad thing.

They probably just emerged today or yesterday and were stopping for a quick bite to eat before disappearing off to ruin someone else's lawn.