Insect ID - louse like beetle in garden

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Hi - anyone able to help identify this beetle I saw scuttling across my shed? It’s quite round and about 6mm long, it looks a bit like a large louse and had a spike coming out of its behind! It also seemed to be half in some sort of casing as if it was emerging. Very fast (like a louse!). Sorry pic is a bit blurry. Thanks

The back end looks a bit like a woodlouse but I’m confused by the front!

Looks like a common sort of shield bug - harmless and good for your garden. No need to spray. Good if your garden has a diverse sortiment of bugs in in, most of which we can’t even name.

www.britishbugs.org.uk/gallery/heteroptera/Pentatomoidea/pentatomoidea.html Any of these?

I’ve got those wee guys too. I just let them crack on. They don’t appear to damage my plants or increase in numbers so I presume they are pretty harmless. Unlike the blasted slugs and snails....

If it's a shield bug and you're in the South of England check it against pics of the southern shield bug. Southern as in Ethiopia not Surrey by the way; they are spreading. We had some last year and I left them because they were cute and they completely decimated my lovely beans. If I'd zapped them early I think they would've been fine!!

Funnily enough I have just started growing beans!

I think it does look like some sort of small shield bug though it moved much faster than I’ve ever seen a shield bug do and I’mjust not sure what the pointy bit is. It’s not green like the southern ones but I’m pretty sure I have seen those before and yes I’m in the south. Couldn’t bring myself to harm one in any case, am quite fond of shield bugs!

I don't think yours is the southern kind either but couldn't completely tell from the photo.

If you see any of those on your beans, or any of the very cute black and white baby ones, get them off quick!

Oh no, and there was me blaming the slugs! 😱

My beans were decimated by snails and slugs, lounging in the shade of the leaves and feasting on the pods. If there is slime, it is the snails/slugs.

Stella your description makes me feel quite envious of your slides/snails!

I had loads of beans at the end but gave them all to the gardener because he was from Croatia and longing for his ancestral lands. They were really fancy Austrian Käferbohnen, pink and maroon spotted huge beans. I hoped he would take them back home and feed his village with them. Don’t know whether he did though, or just made soyp I am searching the house if i have any left. They were so pretty.