IN THIS GUIDE
According to the RHS , the blue mint beetle was first found breeding in the UK in 2011 – but is this what is run through your sight , and if so , what should you do?1Blue mint mallet . ( n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved March 9 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/blue-mint-beetle
These blue mallet are far-flung in mainland Europe and have been spotted in several locating in South and East England and in part of Southern Scotland.2Mint Leaf Beetle . ( n.d . ) . Nature Spot . retrieve March 9 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/mint-leaf-beetle
They might overspread elsewhere in the British Isles as our clime continues to alter .
“ The Blue Mint Beetle is widely broadcast in mainland Europe and , as with other plants and animals , its range is spreading northwards as the global climate oestrus , including into the UK , ” says RHS Master of Horticulture Colin Skelly.3Salisbury , A. , Halstead , A. J. , & Malumphy , C. ( 2012 , January 1).First record of blue mint beetle Chrysolina coerulans ( Scriba , 1791 ) ( Chrysomelidae ) breeding in Britain . ResearchGate.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280921405_First_record_of_blue_mint_beetle_Chrysolina_coerulans_Scriba_1791_Chrysomelidae_breeding_in_Britain
Spotting a glimmering dark blue beetlein your mintis honestly more probable to be interesting than alarming .
Though a pest , its terror to your plant life is only minor .
What Is The Blue Mint Beetle?
The downcast mess beetle is scientifically known asChrysolina coerulans .
It is a species often constitute in damp meadows and riverside habitats .
Chrysolina coerulansare related to the British nativeChrysolina herbacea , the green mint beetle .
As larvae and as grownup , they feed on the foliation ofMenthaspecies .
The green mint mallet is seldom an effect for gardeners as it more commonly feeds on wild slew species .
Identification
While the blasphemous and green mint beetle are bear on , the two can not usually be confused as adults .
As the common names suggest , the blue mint beetle has a dark blue hue , while the native green mint beetle is emerald green .
full-grown risque mint beetle are 7 mm long.4Blue quite a little beetle . ( n.d.-b ) . Project Noah . Retrieved March 9 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/673486003
gamy lot mallet larvae grow to around 1 centimeter in length and they have black , soft , rotund bodies .
At this leg in their lifecycle , they are very similar to the larva of the native green mint beetle .
What Else Might Be Eating Mint Leaves?
Mint is also eaten by several other pest species .
As well as provide food for greenish and blue mint beetles , mint leaves are also eaten by the caterpillar of several moth species in thePyraustagenus .
You may see their silk threads loosely twined around the shoot tips and upper leaves .
clout and snailsalso can be notice on good deal leaves , though this is not normally a problem .
Is Blue Mint Beetle A Problem In The Garden?
Blue mint beetle is not really a job in the garden .
While these and the immature mint beetles will run through batch , mint is such a prolific and vigorous industrial plant that their alimentation will not usually dumbfound any menace to the plant .
This species will probably not be able to fully eradicate a quite a little crop , so their presence can usually be endure .
Both the larvae and the adult will feed on mints and tansy in the spring and summertime months , creating small atypical holes in the leave , but these will not be a major job in most illustration and there should still beplenty of mint for you to harvestif you have a pretty well - established clump .
Mint is usually one of the more hassle - complimentary plants in a garden .
In fact , in sure preferences , it can become too successful , crowding out and out - contend other herbs or other plant grown close by .
Where mintis used as a land cover plant life – in a forest garden for example – its tendency to spread quickly and well can be an advantage .
In such setting , you will likely be unconcerned about a beetle taking some nibbles here and there .
Where mint is uprise in a garden bottom or consecrate herbaceous plant garden , it is often kept in check by locate it within a dope sunken in the ground .
Of course , you might also simply get some mint in its own pot in a container garden .
In such setting , you may bid to take away pests like blue great deal beetle which patch up on your smaller plants .
Removing Blue Mint Beetle
It is commonly absolutely possible to find and remove both the larvae and the adult by hand .
If you would rather not belt down these beetle , then you might rather consider tolerating their presence and perhaps planting more hatful to act as trap crop so you do not lose too much of your crop .
think , blue beetles , like other beetles , are food for garden wildlife and though they are relative newcomers to our shores , their presence is not believe to be much of a trouble .
