www.greenunderwing.co.uk Created by P. J. Taylor Life Cycle Wheel

Tansy Beetle Scientific Name: graminis

The tansy beetle belongs to the family Chysomelidae often called leaf . Many are brightly coloured and metallic. Some are serious agricultural pests. The tansy beetle is definitely not a pest, and very much in need of help. It is nationally rare in the UK, found in only three locations: the River Ouse in (its stronghold), Woodwalton Fen in Cambridgeshire (discovered 2014), and Welney Wetland Centre in Norfolk (found 2018).

A Complex Life Cycle This account represents a generalised view of the tansy beetle life cycle adapted from multiple sources listed at the bottom of this page.

 At the start of the year, adult tansy beetles are overwintering underground.  These adults will surface during April and can be seen until around June. Their priorities are eating tansy, mating, and laying eggs.  The yellow eggs will hatch into greyish slug‐like larvae during May and June. The larvae eat tansy leaves, going through 4 ‘instars’ – each stage involving growth and the shedding of skin (moults).  Adult tansy beetles will have died off by the end of June and so generally none will be seen during July.  When the larvae have gone through the 4 instars, they will burrow underground (around June to July) and form pupae – the transformative stage during which metamorphosis takes place.  Freshly pupate and adults will emerge in August to eat tansy leaves, and continue feeding until September. During September they will burrow underground ready to overwinter and will not resurface until the following April.

References

 Tansy Beetle article, by Buglife: https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug‐directory/tansy‐beetle/  Conservation of the Tansy Beetle on the River Ouse, poster, by Tansy Beetle Action Group, York: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conservation_of_the_Tansy_Beetle_on_the_River_Ouse._‐_panoramio.jpg  Management Sheet, Tansy Beetle, Buglife.