Wanted: Evidence of rare oily-kneed beetles

Keen-eyed wildlife watchers are being asked to look out for a rare parasitic insect with an unusual lifecycle.

The larvae of the Short-Necked Oil Beetles lurk among flowers waiting for a passing bee to carry them back to its nest, where they feed on all the pollen the bee has collected.

The species' name comes from the stubby shape of the adult beetles and their habit of secreting an oily yellow-orange substance from their knee joints when alarmed.

The organisation behind the appeal, Buglife, said Scottish populations of the insect have been found in flower-rich habitats in the Hebrides.