I have these guys all over my calendula and marigolds. Does someone know what they are and if they should be eliminated?

Unless they're actually damaging the plants I would leave them alone. By "eliminating" I guess you mean poisoning. Remember by using chemical sprays you are not only killing "pests" but also a lot of beneficial insects as well. If you don't get an answer here there is a bug ID forum which could help.

Thank you Sue for spreading the message of not using pesticides. I have never used pesticides. I don't even think of that as an option. I usually just pick off insects i see doing damage. I meant should I pick them off. Sorry for the confusion.

It could be a type of Blister Beetle; they are known to attack Calendula. In the photo it looks like the insect is eating the petals so I would pick it off...
but if it is a Blister Beetle I think it may be a good idea to wear gloves.

It doesn't look like the blister beetles I'm familiar with, but there are a lot of different ones. If it is, be careful if you have any livestock around you. They are highly toxic to them.
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/b...

plantmanager said:...blister beetles...there are a lot of different ones.

Maybe we should give a shout out to JRsbugs to see if she can tell what it is.

Edited to laugh at myself for forgetting to put the little @ symbol. ;)

Good idea! @JRsbugs.

Difficult to say as there's thousands of beetles, many of which look very much like each other.

Best guess is Tenebrionidae due to the long femora and general shape but I can't see enough to say much about it and if I could I doubt I would be able to say what it is for sure.

http://tolweb.org/Tenebrionida...

http://knowledgebase.lookseek....

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

It's a lone beetle, it might be nibbling the flower or drinking nectar, whatever the flower will die off soon and the beetle won't be around for long. It could easily be food for birds.

These beetles only seem to cover my calendula and marigolds. There is usually just one or two per bloom. I have been leaving them be

If you can get a sharper picture showing the antennae as well there'd be more chance of an ID. If you don't mind killing one you could catch it by inverting a plastic ziploc over the flower to capture it, and then drown it in rubbing alcohol. It will be much more cooperative for a photo op then and putting it carefully on white paper will make the camera focus on it. Care is needed to remove from the alcohol or legs fall off. Still may not help, especially if Janet thinks it would still be difficult. I wonder if it is after pollen, although there are holes in the petals.

Unless the beetle has something which easily distinguishes it from others it will be difficult if not impossible, even experts with a specimen under a microscope will have trouble with some due to interpretation. Some depend on small detail such as how many ridges there are in the elytra or how many puncture holes it has in certain places.

Some can be identified by the number of segments in the antennae, or colour of them. Or the shape of the pronotum, whether or not it has rounded or sharp corners, the surface structure of it etc.

http://theearlybirder.com/inse...

http://www.americaninsects.net...

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

Watch them and think how much they are enjoying their short lives while you provide one of nature's creatures with something which they can benefit from, and in turn will likely benefit another of nature's creatures.