Pictures are always helpful when identifying bugs. Based on your description, the first thing that pops in to my head is one species of ladybird beetle (ladybugs) that are yellow with sparse blacks spots.
As long as the plants aren't getting eaten (or sucked on) and the bugs aren't bothering you (like say, hornets might) then I wouldn't worry about them. but ID's are always nice.

You've got my curiosity up. Cucumber beetle is a guess although it's not exactly as you describe. I see them a lot on the roses. They don't do a tremenous amount of damage. It seems they are eating the pollen and some of the inner petals..

Here is a link that might be useful: Do they look like this?

ask and you shall receive. here is the picture. Thanks for your help.

Texas Soldier Beetle? Looks like it's a good guy:

Soldier beetle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The soldier beetles, Cantharidae, are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles, related to the Lampyridae or firefly family, but unable to produce light. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. A secondary common name is leatherwing, obtained from the texture of the wing covers.

Soldier beetles are highly desired by gardeners as biological control agents of a number of pest insects. The larvae tend to be dark brown or gray, slender and wormlike with a rippled appearance due to pronounced segmentation. They consume grasshopper eggs, aphids, caterpillars and other soft bodied insects, most of which are pests.

The adults are especially important predators of aphids. They supplement their diet with nectar and pollen and can be minor pollinators. Soldier beetle populations can be increased by planting good nectar- or pollen-producing plants such as Asclepias or Solidago.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soldier Beetle - Chauliognathus sp.

wow, that's awesome. I'm going to catch a couple and move them to the back yard...lol

thanks for the help! That's funny about the firefly reference, that's what i thought they were at first glance.

if they're "swarming" -- maybe your flowers have aphids or something