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The ground beetle is a beetle with a colorful back that lives almost everywhere. There are other names: bombardiers, jumpers, garden ground beetles. Some of them are very useful for cultivated plants, while others are only harmful. We will now try to figure out who the ground beetles are.
Origin of the species and description
Ground beetles (Carabidae) are a family of beetles, class insects, phylum arthropods, order Coleoptera. The name of the beetles comes from the word “buzz.” Entomologists know about 40 thousand species of ground beetles, and at least 3 thousand species can be observed in Russia alone. They all belong to the same genus, but at the same time they have some differences among themselves: in size, color and even in appearance.
Video: Ground beetle
Ground beetles are typically dark in color, sometimes with bright steely greens, blues and golds. Occasionally you can find red and red shades. If you look closely at the metallic sheen, you can see many very thin stripes. The body length of different types of ground beetles varies from 1 to 10 cm.
The most interesting types of ground beetles:
- Caucasian ground beetle. It lives mainly in the north of the Caucasus, but is often found in the Krasnodar Territory. The Caucasian ground beetle has a bright bluish, sometimes purple or greenish color. The number of the species is rapidly declining, which is why it is listed in the Red Book of Russia;
- Crimean ground beetle. The species is found only on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and is active mainly at night. This beetle is quite large - its body length often reaches 6 cm.
Interesting fact: In the back of the body, the Crimean ground beetle has glands with a caustic, but not poisonous liquid, with the help of which it “shoots” at its enemies at a distance of up to 2 meters.
What do bugs eat?
To summarize, a large squad of beetles eats almost everything. For substances of organic origin, there is a species of beetle that will feast on it.
There is a certain classification according to the type of food, but not everything is taken into account. Some species of beetles belong to several groups at once.
Mycetophagous
The darkling beetle is a tinder fungus.
This is a series of beetles that feed on mushrooms. Among them are those that feed on spores, those that live on wood and grow mushrooms there, and those that live in animal excrement and corpses. This group includes:
- tinder beetles;
- smoothboils;
- bark beetles;
- lurking beetles.
Phytophagous
These include all beetles that eat all parts of living plants and their dead parts. The section is also divided into:
- moss consumers;
- herbaceous plants;
- trees and shrubs;
- fruits and seeds;
- flowers or roots;
- juices or stem.
Zoophagi
The predator beetle is a fragrant beetle.
This includes beetles that feed on plant foods. They also differ in the type of food they eat. Among them are:
- predators that eat their prey themselves;
- parasites that live in or on the host's body without causing death;
- parasitoids that slowly lead to death;
- hemophages are blood suckers.
Saprophages
Gravedigger beetle.
These are the beetles that eat the decaying remains of animals and plants. They may feed on dead arthropods, vertebrate carcasses, or fungi and wood in the final stages of decomposition. This:
- dung beetles;
- burying beetles;
- termites;
- earthworms.
Appearance and features
Photo: What a ground beetle looks like
The head of all types of ground beetles is small and usually directed forward. It has a gnawing type mouthparts with fairly strong and sharp jaws. The shape of the jaws can be different and depends on the food preferences of a particular species.
For example, predators are characterized by long sickle-shaped mandibles, with which they grab and firmly hold their prey. Vegetarian ground beetles are characterized by large and blunt jaws, which are well adapted for grinding plant fibers.
The size of the eyes of ground beetles depends on their lifestyle: in burrowing and cave species they are very small, barely noticeable, in nocturnal species they are larger, in twilight and daytime species the eyes are large. The antennae of beetles are usually thin, consisting of eleven segments.
The majority of the body shape is oval, slightly elongated, but there are also varieties that have a different shape:
- round, biconvex;
- leaf-shaped;
- convex with a constriction and a large head, similar to ants;
- round, one-sided convex;
- stem-shaped.
Ground beetles, like all insects, have 6 legs consisting of five segments. Their shape, appearance and functionality depend on the method of movement. For example, burrowing species are characterized by short and wide limbs with sharp teeth, while all others are long and thin. It is noteworthy that on the shin of each leg there is a special notch, with the help of which the beetles clean their antennae.
Where does the ground beetle live?
Photo: Ground beetle in Russia
Ground beetles are insects that are distributed almost everywhere around the globe, except Antarctica. They can be found in Europe and Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America, and in a variety of climate zones. There are species that can survive at sub-zero temperatures and species that are drought-resistant.
Since the species diversity of ground beetles is quite large, they can be found in the tropics and subtropics, in temperate climates, in the taiga and tundra. Their habitats are also very different: zones of forests and steppes, savannas and deserts, forest-steppes and semi-deserts, tropical rainforests and highlands.
For their life activities, ground beetles, as a rule, choose:
- top layers of soil (in fields, meadows and garden areas);
- bark of old trees and fallen leaves (in forests and parks);
- cracks, caves and crevices (in the mountains).
Among the many species of ground beetles, entomologists also distinguish many diurnal and nocturnal species, but with a small reservation. Its essence lies in the fact that the most determining criterion for activity for beetles is not the presence or absence of sunlight at one time or another of the day, but increased air humidity. After all, in the spring, when air humidity is high, nocturnal species tend to be active during the daytime.
Scarab and ancient Egypt
If you watch modern films whose events take place in Ancient Egypt or are somehow connected with it, you get the impression that the scarab is one of the most terrible creatures on earth. The beetle is presented as a ruthless cannibal, from whom it is impossible to escape. Consider the footage of the unfortunate victim being placed in a sarcophagus where hordes of beetles are buried, or when a scarab beetle crawls under the skin of one of the characters. Such moments cause panic fear of a terrible insect.
In ancient Egypt
In fact, the Egyptian scarab is a completely harmless and very useful insect. The Egyptians knew about this and revered these diligent, hard-working beetles. The scarab's journey from east to west, its ability to make perfectly round spheres, and the strength and tenacity required to roll a heavy ball contributed to the fact that these beetles began to symbolize the origin of life and the solar cycle.
When mummifying the dead, the Egyptians placed a figurine of a scarab instead of a heart, so that the insect would accompany the person in the afterlife, helping and supporting him.
What does the ground beetle eat?
Photo: Crimean ground beetle
As you know, ground beetles live in fields, forests, parks, on personal plots, in gardens, in general, where there are a lot of different small living creatures that run, crawl or fly. Food preferences of ground beetles: snails, slugs, larvae of other insects, caterpillars, aphids.
Thanks to this “menu”, carabid beetles are highly revered by gardeners, as they make a significant contribution to the ongoing fight against pests. The hunting principle of ground beetles is quite simple. When a beetle sees its prey and is ready to attack it, a special paralyzing liquid appears in its jaw glands. The beetle sprays its prey with this liquid, waits a few minutes and starts eating.
This liquid contains substances that immobilize and soften the victim, turning it into a semi-liquid pulp. The beetle absorbs this pulp and returns to the shelter for several days to digest food and rest. After a couple of days, the beetle comes out of hiding and begins to hunt again.
Among ground beetles there are predator species, species with a mixed diet, as well as vegetarian species. Among the latter, the most dangerous for plants are one of the representatives of the genus Zabrus - ground beetles. They feed mainly on half-ripe grains of cereal plants: rye, wheat, barley, oats, corn, which causes irreparable harm to agriculture.
Ground beetle larvae generally feed almost the same as adults, with the exception of a few species. It is also very common for larvae to parasitize the larvae of other insects.
How to protect the crop?
At first, methods of combating grain beetles included only manual collection of the grain and shaking it off using special ropes. Today, there are many proven techniques that are designed to deal with uninvited guests.
Folk remedies
As a rule, they consist of planting cheap crops around the perimeter of the plot, which the pest feeds on, since bread beetles most often settle along the edges of the land and rarely fly into the middle. In addition, a vinegar solution is effective for spraying plants, which is used to periodically treat the crops.
Preventive measures
Compliance with agrotechnical measures will help reduce the number of eggs and larvae in the soil. Kuzkas especially love young crops, so it is recommended to harvest early, and after harvesting, use deep plowing of the soil with turning out layers of soil.
Chemicals
Most often, insecticides are used when intensive reproduction of individuals is observed. For spraying, drugs such as Karate and Parachute are used
Features of character and lifestyle
Photo: Ground beetle
Most species of ground beetles lead a terrestrial lifestyle, preferring a layer of rotted fallen leaves or a layer of dry grass from last year. However, there are also ground beetles that live on plants, soil-borne or parasitic.
Most often, beetles make a shelter for themselves among fallen leaves, under stones, at the roots of trees, in the grass. Some species also live on tree branches at a height of up to three meters. The main conditions for their habitat are stable temperature, high humidity, and shade.
Causes of mass reproduction of pests
Just a few centuries ago, wheatgrass was the main source of food for bread beetles. The development of agriculture encouraged insects to switch to a more tasty food source - cereal crops. This greatly influenced the improvement of their living conditions. In addition, non-compliance with crop rotation and insufficient cultivation of fields only benefit the development of the population. Favorable meteorological conditions also contribute to an increase in the number of bread beetles:
- warm winters do not contribute to the destruction of wintering individuals;
- the abundance of precipitation during the period of embryonic development and hatching larvae has a beneficial effect on the development of insects.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Garden ground beetle
Reproduction in ground beetles begins at the age of 9-12 months.
Entomologists distinguish the following types of annual rhythm of ground beetles:
- the mating season occurs in the spring (the development of larvae occurs in the summer, and in the winter insects in the adult stage hibernate);
- the mating season occurs in summer or autumn (the larva overwinters, there is no summer hibernation);
- the mating season occurs in summer or autumn (the larva overwinters and there is summer hibernation);
- variable mating season (reproduction can occur at any time of the year; both larvae and adult beetles overwinter);
- The mating season and development takes more than a year.
Interesting fact: Some species of ground beetles living in the tropics and subtropics breed twice a year.
Ground beetles are insects with complete metamorphosis, that is, they pass through 4 stages in their development: egg, larva, pupa, imago. In the middle zone, the mating season for ground beetles begins at the end of April or beginning of May. After mating, the female lays a clutch at a depth of 3-5 cm. One clutch can consist of 20-80 eggs. The laying site should be dark, warm and humid. The soil should be rich in humus.
In species of ground beetles, which are characterized by caring for offspring, there are fewer eggs in the clutch and they are larger; in other species, the eggs are quite small, but there are many times more of them. The shape of the eggs can be in the form of an elongated oval or a cylinder rounded at the ends with a thin translucent yellowish or white shell, through which the larva can be seen by the end of incubation.
In most species of ground beetles, caring for offspring consists of choosing the most suitable place for laying eggs, but there are species in which it takes on more complex forms. For example, in Pterostichini ground beetles, the female guards the clutch until the larvae hatch, protecting it from attacks by other beetles and from infection by mold.
In Madagascan ground beetles Scartini, the female guards the eggs throughout the incubation period, and then lives with the larvae for some time, feeding them with caterpillars and earthworms. In Harpalini ground beetles, the female places a certain supply of plant seeds in the nesting chamber, which are then eaten by the hatched larvae.
The larvae of ground beetles have an elongated body (up to 2 cm in length) with a large head, large mouth, segmented abdomen, and short legs. They, as a rule, feed on the same things as adult beetles. During the growth process, the larvae molt three times. The pupae of ground beetles are naked, without a shell, and are very similar to adult individuals. They lie in a depression made in the soil; some species pupate in a cocoon. The pupal stage usually lasts 7–12 days.
Nutrition
Mammal dung (mostly cattle) is the only thing the scarab beetle feeds on. From the fresh excrement found, the insect forms a ball with the help of its head and paws, which it then climbs onto and continues, by pressing, to attach more and more pieces of manure to the base, forming a ball of ever larger size. Next, the beetle needs to roll the prey to a secluded place as quickly as possible, since another scarab may encroach on it, and then a fight cannot be avoided.
Nutrition
Usually the scarab rolls the ball to a distance of 10–30 m, then digs a hole where it buries its prey. For the next 1.5–2 weeks, the beetle’s home will be a place next to the successfully produced dung ball. When the food runs out, the insect goes in search of a new food source.
Natural enemies of ground beetles
Photo: Ground beetle insect
It is known that the ground beetle feeds on both adult insect pests of gardens and vegetable gardens, as well as their larvae, preventing them from multiplying quickly and thereby bringing enormous benefits. So if there are ground beetles in your garden plot, you should not destroy them because their benefits are invaluable. It has been calculated that, on average, one adult ground beetle is capable of destroying 150-300 caterpillars, pupae and larvae per season. Thus, most species of these beetles are orderlies of forests, gardens, fields and vegetable gardens.
The modern meaning of the scarab beetle talisman
Nowadays, many are interested in ancient beliefs, esotericism and mysticism. Scarab amulets are very popular. It is believed that the image of this insect will help achieve your goals and provide support and success in any endeavor. Scarab will help women maintain youth and beauty. It will help men achieve financial success and expand their spheres of influence. For children, the scarab talisman will give them a thirst for knowledge and the ability to develop their talents.
It is recommended to wear a talisman as a talisman against evil forces. Many believe that its positive energy will protect against the evil eye and help maintain peace and tranquility in the family.
Population and species status
Photo: What a ground beetle looks like
Ground beetles are a fairly large family of coleopteran insects, which, according to various estimates by entomology experts, contains 25-50 thousand species. Most of them are carnivorous insects, which in turn works great as a deterrent to the spread of insect pests.
Despite the abundance and diversity of ground beetles, there are many species whose numbers are declining:
- Shagreen ground beetle (found throughout Europe and the European part of Russia; beetles are listed in the Red Book of the Smolensk region, Chuvash Republic, Lithuania, Belarus);
- Caucasian ground beetle (lives in the northern part of the Caucasus, as well as in the Krasnodar Territory, is listed in the Red Book of Russia and Georgia);
- Crimean ground beetle (found only within the Crimean peninsula; due to its large size and spectacular appearance, it is very popular among collectors, which is why its numbers are decreasing; it is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine);
- carabid beetle (inhabits the forests of most European countries, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, and some countries of Central Asia; the insect is listed in the Red Book of Europe and the Red Book of Russia);
- Lopatin-Yankovsky's ground beetle (found in the European part of Russia; listed in the Red Book of Russia as an extremely rare species).
