Beetles

~ By Gardnbee ~

Many Beetles are simply bad news in the garden but there are those who have earned our appreciation over the years such as the large, ungainly Ground Beetle or the much adored Ladybird Beetle to the ferocious Soldier Beetle to name but a few. These formidable hunters devour insect pests and so are considered to be beneficial allies.


Ground Beetle

Family: Carabidae
Order: Coleoptera

The adult Ground Beetle grows to one inch in length and lays its eggs in the Earth producing one generation a year. These fierce predators of slugs, snails and many pest larvae wait just beneath the soil surface for night to arrive when their prey is most active.

Another Ground Beetle known as the fiery searcher (Calosoma scrutator) is similar in habit and looks but exudes a caustic substance that burns on contact so be sure to wear gloves if you intend to handle one. These allies search out and devour caterpillars and other soft-bodied larvae.

Ladybird Beetle

Family: Coccinellidae
Order: Coleoptera

Ladybird Beetles are less than ¼ inches long with some species found just about anywhere in North America. They have a tremendous appetite for aphids, scale, mites, mealy bugs, whiteflies and the eggs of some other insects. Their larvae is even more voracious then the adults devouring around 40 aphids in an hour.

They are bright orange to red in color with several black spots (number of which varies with variety) and white markings dotting the thorax that distinguishes them from the similar Mexican bean beetle with a black head and legs.

Soldier Beetle

Family: Cantharidae
Order: Coleoptera

Although there are quite a few varieties of Soldier Beetles the common variety (Cantharis livida) are said to resemble "burned-out-fireflies" and grow to about ½ inch in length with the head, pronotum and wings being a mixed color of black and orange.

They can be seen on any number of blooming plants such as wild Carrot, Milkweed, Sweet Clover, Goldenrod, Corn and some grains but do not feed on the actual plants going after pollen, small insects like the Cucumber beetle and nectar instead. Their larvae consume Aphids, Grasshopper eggs, an array of small Caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects.

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Resource: Mother Earth News April/May, 1992
"Managing Beneficial Bugs in your Garden"

         

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