of the family Ptinidae attack dry plant matter:

Woodworm Anobium and Death Watch Beetle

Xestobium rufovillosum can attack beams and

timbers, the latter earning their name from the

ticking sound they make at night to attract a mate.

The cellar beetles (genus Blaps) are large, black

beetles that can sometimes still be found in very

old buildings or stables, and in many European

cultures are connected with death; they are

also strongly nocturnal, and in both cases the

superstitions probably arose because rural people

before electricity, sleeping at dusk and rising at

dawn, will only have encountered night-active

insects in times of sickness.

opposite | Euophryum confine

(Curculionidae) A wood-boring weevil

introduced to Britain from New Zealand,

and now very common in damp wood in

bathrooms and kitchens.

above | Lilioceris lilii (Chrysomelidae)

The Scarlet Lily Beetle is a defoliating

pest of cultivated lilies in Europe, and

has now been introduced into the USA.

below | Popillia japonica (Scarabaeidae)

Introduced from Asia to North America in

the early twentieth century, this garden pest

has spread rapidly, including to Europe.