Hobbies And Interests
Beneficial Beetles
The fiery hunter ground beetle is an inch-long, shiny black beetle that eats other insects, particularly grub worms and other garden pests. It is abundant in Florida. The labybird beetle or ladybug is also abundant and eats many crop-threatening bugs, such as aphids, therefore saving farmers thousands in costly pest control. Clay-colored leaf beetles are also semi-beneficial because, though they feed on some trees, they also eat ragweed and other common garden weeds.
Pest Beetles
The cottonwood leaf beetle is a small, black pest insect that feeds on cottonwood, willow and poplar trees. It can be controlled by liquid pesticides. The Florida tortoise beetle is a small, blue-black, shiny beetle whose larva feed on palm trees, such as the saw palmetto. However, the Florida tortoise beetle is not known to cause significant economic damage. Billbugs, which are a type of weevil or snout beetle, are a notorious lawn pest whose larvae can destroy turf grasses. They can be controlled with biological parasites and nematodes or with liquid pesticides sprayed early in the spring. The white weevil is another beetle and a pest to citrus plants.
Neutral Beetles and Water Beetles
The beetles in this section are ones that are neither directly beneficial or harmful to humans and their crops. The zebra longhorn beetle feeds on flower nectar and is found in open fields and on roadsides. Other neutral species include Scalaventer subtropicus, persimmon leaf beetle, tiger beetle and Hormops abductens. There are also hundreds of species of water beetles in Florida, including the aquatic leaf beetle, long-toed water beetle, riffle beetle, whirligig beetle, water scavenger beetle and the burrowing water beetle.
Rare, Unidentified and Invading Beetles
Dermestidae, known informally as skin beetles or leather beetles, are very tiny beetles that scavenge on dead animal or plant matter and stored food and clothing. They can be pest because of the wide range of foods they can eat and because they tend to enter homes. Some unclassified species have been found in Florida. There are also been some yet unidentified species of scarab beetle found in Florida. Myllocerus undatus Marshall is a species of pest weevil that is from Sri Lanka, but is showing up in Florida, damaging citrus and ornamental trees.