Specieswatch: fighting pollen beetles in the margins

With insect numbers falling because of pesticides, natural controls are being sought for a pest threatening valuable oilseed rape crops One of the pests that troubles British farmers is the pollen beetle, Meligethes aeneus, which is particularly fond of yellow flowers and is a menace to oil seed rape. On some plants it is a beneficial pollinator, but on oilseed rape it destroys the plant's ability to produce the all-important seed. Related: Our wildlife can be saved - but only with political will | Letters Continue reading...