Gendarme bug or Firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus

We snapped this fabulous beetle whilst on holiday in France. It is called a Gendarme bugs or Firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, this was found on a mallow plant, and these insects apparentally feed on Mallow and Lime Tree seeds. They are common in mainland Europe and have been reported as recently expanding distribution northwards into mainland UK. We'll have to keep our eyes open!

red lily beetle

In mum's garden in the New Forest we saw another interesting beetle we had not seen before. On looking it up it seems to be the Red Lily beetle, Lilioceris lilii, which is a serious pest of lily plants and can kill them completely in just a couple of years. The insect is not native to the UK and probably moved to Britain from the Mediterranean. In recent years it has spread away from the few areas it was found in the south east of the UK and it can now be found virtually everywhere, even as far north as Cumbria, and is causing lots of problems for commercial lily growers.