Afternoon delight

I've photographed scores of pairs of Oxystoma pomonae seed weevils over the last few years - you probably recognise them if you've been reading my ramblings for any length of time - but this is the first time I've actually recorded a pair in cop. From autumn onwards I see steadily fewer single specimens as they begin to pair up, and by midwinter all the ones I find will be either paired or in bigger group huddles. Usually though the male is simply sitting on the female's back, either riding around while she wanders about, or locked in a heat-sharing embrace as they sit out the cold months on a hazel catkin or a leaf bud.

The reason I'm finding this interesting is that there's very little published information about this species, and I've never known when they breed, or indeed, where in this garden the females might lay their eggs. I've always assumed that they mate in the spring, as many other species of beetle and bug do that overwinter as adults, but according to this wafer-thin evidence, that may not in fact be the case. The usually excellent UK Beetles site, which does have a page on Oxystoma pomonae, is currently off line - temporarily, I hope - but if I can find out any more information I'll come back later and update this post.

R: C6, D10.