Rare beetle that oozes from the knees found in Wales

A rare species of beetle has been found in Wales after not being seen in the country for more than 60 years.

The is a rare beetle named for its stubby shape and the oily substance it releases from its knees.

After not being seen in the UK after 1948, it was first rediscovered in the UK in Devon in 2006 and has been since sighted in Scotland.

This year, larvae - the stage before it becomes an adult insect - were found on Castlemartin estate in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

The Short-Necked Oil Beetle is very rare in Great Britain and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

It has a very unusual life cycle.

The larvae of the beetle hide among flowers until it can hitch a ride on passing bee back to its nest, where they feed on all the pollen the bee has collected.

It needs a particular environment to survive which includes bare earth and thick vegetation.

This means there are only a handful of suitable places in the UK.

One of these is Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire which has been surveyed for over three years in the hopes of finding them

It can usually be found from March to June in flower-rich coastal grassland and sand dune habitat, and the beetle is most active on warm, sunny days.

In 2022 and 2025, only dead beetles were found, but this year larvae was discovered showing the species not only existed but was also breeding.

Anne Hobbs, from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, described the the Short-Necked Oil Beetle as an "amazing creature" and said the discovery was "very exciting".