Why they are a Pest
They feed on flower buds and flowers chewing holes in the petals and foliage. Apparently the plant can detect these beetles and will drop the attacked flower (flowers falling to the ground can indicate the presence of the beetles).They will also feed on seeds and ripe fruit.
They may carry disease causing microorganisms from plant to plant.
The photo I took was of the beetle on a flower of a rosella bush, which is a hibiscus.Okra is another hibiscus plant which they may also get into. They also like other crops including strawberries and magnolias. I didn’t find it a particular problem and luckily they were not in massive numbers.
They seem to prefer white or pale coloured flowers.