There are many insects that eat pollen. If you are growing a crop where pollination is important for fruit or seed formation, I would be a little concerned about it. But I don't think I would worry about it with parsley. Keep an eye out to make sure that they keep their activities located on the flowers and not on the foliage.

By the way, ladybugs will eat pollen and nectar, too!

They won't damage the parsley. The adults eat pollen.

Thank you for your responses! I guess I'll just leave them be. Does anyone know if they will eventually start eating other insects? That would be great! My girlfriend's roses have a slight aphid infestation going on, so if the bugs on the parsley help keep the aphids in check, I might try move the plants together. Is that a good idea?

Generally speaking, if a critter gets its protein from pollen it won't get protein from eating other bugs and vice versa. (However many adult predators, such as wasps, eat nectar which can look a lot like they're eating pollen) I wouldn't hold out for any sort of control from those little guys. Aphids? It's all about the soapy water.

I don't believe that we know what your beetle is. All we know for certain is that is eats pollen. I suggest that your friend begins washing the aphids off with plain water or insecticidal soap. A brisk shower on a daily basis will keep them at bay.

Your beeetle is a dermestid -- the adult of a capet beetle, likely the genus Anthrenus. If so, the larvae damage natural fiber fabrics.

If you wash with anything other than plain water you could destroy any butterfly larva that use parsley as food. Your bug is not one but I have attended several butterfly lectures where there is a least one person who wants to know how to destroy the small black worms so they will have butterflies instead. We all have to learn somewhere. At one time it was my question but someone beat me too it.