ground beetles
Garden pest hunters
Ground beetles are a large family of predatory insects found worldwide, typically dark-colored with hard wing covers and long legs.
Most are nocturnal hunters that eat other insects, slugs, and snails, making them beneficial in gardens.
When disturbed, many species release foul-smelling secretions.
Ground beetles shelter under rocks and logs during the day.
Order containing beetles
- elytraHardened forewings of beetles
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- mandiblesPaired arthropod mouthparts
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
chitin · thorax · abdomen · tarsi · segmented · hexapod · arthropod · invertebrate
Feeding on animal flesh
- preyAnimal being hunted
- huntPursuit of quarry
- captureTake into custody
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
mandibles · consume · larvae · slugs · caterpillars · snails · aphids · scavenger
Active during darkness
- crepuscularRelating to dusk
- flightlessIncapable of aerial travel
- secretiveInclined to conceal
- burrowingDigging to create shelter
overwintering · defensive · chemical defense · bombardier · stridulation · aggregation · territorial · hiding
Ground matter for planting
- leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- gardenCultivated plant area
woodland · meadow · debris · rotting logs · stones · bark · moisture · damp
coleoptera
Order containing beetles
- elytraHardened forewings of beetles
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- mandiblesPaired arthropod mouthparts
exoskeleton · chitin · thorax · abdomen · tarsi · segmented · hexapod · arthropod · invertebrate · larvae
carnivorous
Feeding on animal flesh
ambush · mandibles · consume · larvae · slugs · caterpillars · snails · aphids · scavenger · foraging
nocturnal
Active during darkness
- crepuscularRelating to dusk
- flightlessIncapable of aerial travel
- secretiveInclined to conceal
burrowing · overwintering · defensive · chemical defense · bombardier · stridulation · aggregation · territorial · hiding · scurrying
soil
Ground matter for planting
- leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
garden · woodland · meadow · debris · rotting logs · stones · bark · moisture · damp · terrestrial
iridescent
Showing shifting spectral colors
sheen · gleaming · dark · black · bronze · green · violet · copper · ridged · striated
- beetlesscarab, scarabs, ladybug, ladybugs, ladybird
- ground crittersmice, rats, ants, cockroaches, spiders
- omnivorous insectsants, cockroaches, crickets, earwigs, grasshoppers
- plant pestsaphids, aphid, caterpillar, mealybugs, mites
- Soil Lifeearthworm, earthworms, nightcrawler, nematodes, soil bacteria
- soil pestswireworm, grubs, white grub, wireworms, grub
ground beetlesdiving beetles
Aquatic predatory insects
water beetles · fireflies · ladybugs · longhorn beetles · bark beetles
ground beetlesdung beetles
Insects that process excrement
scarab beetles · wood-boring beetles · detritivores · carrion beetles · weevils
ground, beetle, grounds, grounded, grounding, groundless, groundwork, beetles