Weevil 'Taeniapion urticarium'

T. urticarium is the only representative of this genus to be found in the UK and even then is foundn only on a very local level in the south east of England. Given this is a tiny beetle of only 1.9-2.3mm in length this may in part be to the lack of records because it's so inconspicuous?

They can occur in a wide variety of habitats; parkland, riverbanks, gardens and wasteland etc. wherever the host plant is abundant, that host plant being the common nettle, upon which this specimen was found.

A single egg is laid in early summer in a deep round hole in the stem, generally near the leaf nodes. The larvae feed within the stems where development is rapid. A single stem may host several larvae and pupae. The pupal stage lasts between fifteen and twenty days and the adults eclose in late summer or autumn, overwintering in the stem before emerging the following spring.