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In spite of their unpleasant appearance, ground beetles have many benefits around the yard. They control weed growth in gardens and flowerbeds by eating seeds from unwanted plants. Additionally, they prey on pest species like slugs and aphids. Unlike some pests, ground beetles are not disease-carriers and rarely bite people. Sometimes it’s best to call in the professionals for assistance in controlling a ground beetle infestation. A pest control specialist can identify the specific type of beetle and implement targeted treatment methods to eliminate the infestation and prevent future occurrences.
Types of Beetles Every Homeowner Should Know
This means storing all dried foods in sealable containers and not leaving pet food out overnight. The warehouse beetle is a dark brown, oval-shaped beetle with a mottled pattern on its wing covers. Here are descriptions and pictures of common flying house beetles. The two most common grain beetles are the merchant grain beetle (Oryzaephilus mercator) and the sawtoothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis). However, there are several differences between the two types of beetles.
Welcome lacewings, sweat bees and lady beetles (back) into your life
Some species, such as the caterpillar hunter, focus on a particular food source exclusively, while others are generalist feeders. Certain ground beetle species even demonstrate phytophagous tendencies by preying on the seeds, shoots, and pollen of plants rather than feeding on other animals. Some ground beetles can eat as much as four times their own body weight in prey on a daily basis. Bombardier ground beetles are a subfamily of beetles, many of which have distinctive brown and black coloring.
Bembidion Ground Beetles (Bembidion spp.)
Ground beetles actually have many benefits, preying on garden pests like ants, aphids, caterpillars, maggots, slugs, and worms. Another approach is using insecticides and sticky traps to control the beetle population. Apply insecticides on the exterior of your home to create a barrier, preventing beetles from entering. Sticky traps can be placed in areas with high beetle activity to capture and monitor their presence.
How to control ground beetles indoors
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When it comes to getting rid of ground beetles, you can’t do much for those already inside of your home besides removing them. However, you can prevent more from coming into your home in the future. Ground beetles tend to move into homes that have open areas for them to squeeze into.
During the night, they gather around outdoor lighting as well as brightly lit windows, and may go into buildings in search of food. Foundation cracks and loose windows make it easy for them to gain access. A dirt floor basement in particular attracts a variety of insects that beetles feed on, increasing the likelihood of infestation. One of the most common black beetles in the genus Pterostichus is the rain beetle (Pterostichus melanarius). This black beetle is a non-descript black color with ridged lines down its wing cover.
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Therefore, an effective way to keep ground beetles away from your home is to seal all possible entryways. This can result in the bugs invading your home through crevices, windows, or doors. The good news is that most of these insects don’t reproduce indoors.
Ground Beetle Control: How to Get Rid of Ground Beetles
After discarding infested food, you should vacuum kitchen cabinets and disinfect all surfaces. The best way to eradicate flour beetles is to seal infested produce in a plastic bag and put it in the outside trash can. Then, it’s vital to thoroughly clean all the cabinets where you suspect flour beetles were lurking.
Household insects
Although certain species have been known to release odorous secretions when threatened, none will bite or attack humans. If you are dealing with a ground beetle infestation, always contact your local beetle exterminators. Color Most ground beetles appear black in color or exhibit dark, earthy tones. Unlike typical ground beetles, the caterpillar hunter has bright, metallic green wing covers with red highlighting the margins. The sides of the insect’s head, thorax, and legs appear rich violet or dark blue in color. However, some homeowners may find ground beetles inside their houses, causing confusion or distress2.
As stated earlier, the ground beetles hide in logs, rocks, and other moist areas. Living to their name, you may also find them under mulch, leaves, wood chips, and pine straws. These nests provide protection from elements and predators, thus a good breeding ground. These bugs feed on aphids, caterpillar, slugs, snails, fly worms, including any insect with a soft body.
We found a specimen for sale for $8 on the Beetle-china blogspot and it is also represented on the Carabidae of the World website. We found five species listed on the Organisms of Hawaii website, and two of them resemble your specimen with its smooth black elytra. Certain insects seem to have very cyclical schedules and they appear in prodigious numbers when conditions are sympathetic to their survival.
These bugs typically dry out and die indoors unless they shelter in high-humidity areas. The ground beetles do more good than harm in the natural environment. Since they cause no threat to health and property, controlling their numbers is the best necessary step.
These insects (predators) feed on other harmful insects and are regarded as very beneficial to agriculture. Larvae are elongate and wormlike in appearance with powerful prominent mandibles. Remove objects where beetles can hide such as leaf piles, old boards, rotting logs, stone piles, firewood piles, etc., around house entrances. Since many beetles are attracted to lights, subdue the lighting around windows and doors by using less attractive (to beetles) yellow or sodium vapor light bulbs. Avoid excessive lighting directly upon the house during the spring when beetles are abundant. Indoor lights should not shine directly out of door or window openings.
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