Ground beetles are a common pest found by home and business owners throughout Southwestern Ontario. Here’s a look at what you should know about the common ground beetle, how to identify an infestation and how to get rid of ground beetles in your home.
What Are Ground Beetles?
Ground beetles are members of the family Carabidae, which is one of the largest and most common beetle families in North America. There are 800 species in Canada alone and 2600 spread across the continent. As their name suggests, they often live underground or under logs, rocks, leaves, or boards.
What Do Ground Beetles Look Like?
Ground beetles can be between 2 and 25 mm long, and they tend to be long and oval. Most species are dark, but some can have iridescent shells that come in a variety of metallic colours like blue, copper, green, orange, red, yellow, or a combination of those colours.
Are Ground Beetles Harmful?
Typically ground beetles are not harmful to humans as they don’t damage property or transmit disease. They don’t even lay eggs inside. They can, however, damage crops or vegetable gardens by eating the seeds, pollen, or shoots of plants. This type of pest can be considered a nuisance by homeowners if an infestation is found, as some ground beetles are even known to produce foul smelling secretions in your home.
Why am I Finding Ground Beetles In My Home?
Ground beetles are attracted to light. They will often gather in large numbers around a well-lit building before entering. Ground beetles also like dark and damp hiding spaces, so many people will find ground beetles in their basements or under objects.
Problems Caused by Ground Beetles:
Ground beetles can be considered beneficial, for they eat invertebrate pests and seeds from weedy plants, however, no homeowners likes to discover a ground beetle in their home. If these beetles are found outside, they can cause problems as they eat seeds and plants, and can potentially destroy entire gardens and crops.
Detecting a Possible Ground Beetle Infestation In Your Home:
Ground beetles are most likely to enter homes during the middle or end of summer. They are drawn by light and will often congregate around a light source before entering. Ground beetles do not breed indoors and leave relatively few signs of an infestation.
Control and Removal of Ground Beetles
If you believe you may have a ground beetle infestation inside or event outside of your home, contact a professional residential pest control specialist, like the technicians at ASAP Pest Control. A professional exterminator and technician will be able to determine how bad the infestation is, decide which preventative method to use, and ensure that the necessary measures are implemented in order to prevent a possible re-infestation. For more information about detecting and mitigating a ground beetle infestation in your home, contact the team at ASAP Pest Control today.