Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: Black and Orange Beetle, 1 by PedricksCorner

PedricksCorner wrote:
I have tried to identify this beetle, which I do not believe is harmful, but no one seems to know what it is. It only arrives in my yard when the ants have placed aphids on my fruit trees. They appear to be competing with the ants for the honey dew the aphids put out. They are very clumsy flyers. I have never seen them elsewhere in the yard. I tried to find a photo of them in the Bug Files and could not. The bug charts at HomeDepot call it a "Plant Bug" ha, ha!!! No details on them though, not even it's latin name..... Help will be greatly appreciated.