Black Beetle

What are black beetles all about?

With a shell-like outer appearance that sets them apart, black beetles can be found almost everywhere. Say hello to black beetles! Did you know that out of three animal species, at least one is a species of beetle? Whoa! Research says the count of this species is more than 350,000! Too much.

Land covered with grass or pastures is where you’ll mostly find black beetles. However, these pests are known to attack crops including sweet potatoes, strawberries, maize, sweet corn, and potatoes. Talking of the adult black beetles, they mostly emerge after January and mostly spend their winters in the soil. They lay eggs in the late spring and feed on grass roots.

They stay mostly in sandy soils that are free-draining. Okay, now it’s time to know them a little better. Read on.

Appearance and their Biology

When you see black beetles, it almost seems like their bodies are armoured with a tough shield like cover! Step on them, and you can hear a not so pleasing crunchy sound – well yes, their outer covers are that hard and it also acts as a resistance to insecticides, thus protecting them.

They are small creatures, and their sizes vary anywhere between one-fourth of an inch to two inches. They’re not always jet black, and their color varies between the shades of brown to black mostly.

Habitat

Coastal or freshwater habitats, beetles are kind of omnipresent you can say! They’re found in almost all types of habitats. They mostly live in small social colonies in dry wood, in tree barks, leaves, and flowers, near the roots in the underground, inside plants and its tissues(decaying and the dead ones included). Be it moist, dry, hot or cold, beetles sort of adjust to any kind of climate.

Where do they generally build nests?

These insects mostly live outside the perimeter of your homes, but if they spot food somewhere, they may just barge in. Black beetles mostly build their nests under wooden structures and other household items.

To identify commonplaces, we can include rocks, wood chip, pine straw and mulch, which ultimately succeed in becoming the most popular hiding spots for these pests, because here they can protect their nests. However, when the weather conditions become challenging (excessive heat, rains or cold winters), they look for better places of accommodation. Mostly during fall, they start moving into residential homes or places where they get to hibernate peacefully during winters.

Black beetles mostly hunt for food during the night, and that’s the reason you might not notice them easily. This leads to their population’s multiplication at your homes in no time without you even realizing. Beware of beetle infestation though!

Do Black beetles bite, and is it Harmful?

Because they have chewy mouths, black beetles or mostly all beetles, in general, may bite, if and in case they feel threatened by you. It is mostly in their defense that some beetle bites a human and it is mostly the female beetles that do so. Only if you develop an allergy from the beetle’s bite should you require medical attention. If you doubt you’ve been bitten by a beetle and aren’t sure about what type it was, you should consult a doctor.

Black beetles Bite Treatment

Beetle bites don’t generally cause harm to humans, but sometimes the bite can cause a little pain. This may not require medical attention, but if your skin breaks due to a beetle’s bite, it should be treated in the same way that you would treat a minor wound. Avoid biting or scratching the area. Ice or a cold pack may help to reduce the swelling caused if any.

Are beetles harmful to your garden?

Beetles, as mentioned earlier, are of innumerable types. The ones that eat away tree leaves are called the Elm Leaf Beetle, and ‘Grubs’ or the immature June beetles who have a tendency to directly attack the roots of grasses. However, not every kind of beetle is harmful. Some are useful to an extent. Aphids and Mealybugs are plant pests on which the ladybugs feed. Gardeners, therefore, welcome such beetles instead of shooing them away.

How can you get rid of black beetles?

Thanks to their hard shell-like skin on top and that upright movement, a beetles’ infestation would not be greatly affected by mere ready to use sprays. The annoying black beetles can overcome such solutions in a jiffy!

Did you know black beetles are also called the carpet beetles? Their larvae can not only destroy fabrics and natural animal fibers but can contaminate the food that you eat as well. Identify an infestation by the beetles before it destroys your home décor, furniture and other things. You can spot adult beetles on windowsills and carpets mostly when they are indoors. Also, the larvae can be found in dark places which you need to keep a track of. If you find destroyed garments or contaminated food, it may show signs of beetles at their development stage.

Maintain proper moisture control at your home to avoid infestation of beetles. To control both the wood and food-destroying beetles, always apply the “first-in, first-out” concept. Prevent the practice of accumulating old clothes and fabrics. Clean out your closets regularly and give away or throw whatever is not required to ward off the possibility of beetle infestation due to the fabric. When the beetles are in small numbers, merely removing them physically or through vacuum also helps.

A combo of two products, however, proves to be of immense help when trying to get rid of black beetles. In the surrounding area of your house where you have the turf and mulch areas, apply ‘Bifen Granules’ like a band of treated soil across which the pests cannot trespass. In order to bid goodbye to the black- beetles, do this treatment once a month, use 1.2 lbs. of granules for about 1,000 sq. ft of turf. To ensure the pests never come back again, do it once in every three months. That’s not it! For the most effective results, follow up the granules application with the ‘Bifen IT Concentrate’ that’s easy to use and odorless. All you have to do is spray the same on the granules and watch the black beetles never return.

If you’re a little late in taking preventive measures and the beetles have already invaded your home, don’t worry too much. Just spray the inside of the baseboards with the tank mix of Bifen and Spreader Sticker. But if you have crevices and cracks in some areas, you should use either the PT Phantom aerosol or D-Force. Though the latter has a slight odor, it acts super quick and knocks down the beetles in no time.

In case the beetle infestation goes out of your control, you should ask for help and get a pest control done. The professionals in the field will take care of the rest and make those bugs disappear. This may, however, cost you a little more than the other methods but it would be worth it.

Interesting Facts

Know some interesting facts about the beetles in general:

1. Except for oceans and polar regions, you can spot beetles almost everywhere
2. In the United States alone, there are over 12,000 species of beetles found
3. The female versions of this insect generally lay from about a dozen to a hundred eggs in its lifetime
4. The adult beetles have wings in two different sets
5. Beetles are mostly not that great in flying and are seen as poor flyers
6. Humans eat more than 300 kinds of beetles that are at their larval stage mostly
7. Did you know beetles cannot see very clearly? They communicate or pass across messages to each other through sounds, pheromones or vibrations
8. The true beetles or the beetles that are on earth today first landed on the planet over 230 million years back
9. Not all beetles are considered as pests, for instance, ladybugs are also beetles, but they’re deemed to be auspicious or lucky according to certain traditions or cultures. Also, lightning bugs or fireflies are beetles and they glow in the dark looking all magical and heavenly.
10. 40% of all insects on Earth are of the Coleoptera order, which are better known as beetles. Imagine the number!
11. While some beetles can be hurtful to the environment as they can be damaging to crops and property, there are species of beetles that are also good for the same. Like they help in pollination of flowers, eat up dead trees and aid in getting rid of garbage too.

We are sure you never knew so much about beetles or more specifically the black beetles. We are sure the next time you see beetles; you’re going to spot them in a new light! Isn’t it? We hope you enjoyed reading about the not-so-cool black beetles.