The forest beetle beetle, so named for its amazing iridescent coloring, enjoys great respect for foresters. It protects the forest from harmful insects by hunting them on the crowns of tall trees.
Beetle Description
This is one of the most beautiful representatives of the winged wing detachment. Bright wide and ribbed elytra shimmer, acquiring a blue, green or golden color with a reddish tint.
The head and pronotum are usually dark blue. The size of this beetle varies from 20 to 30 mm. Occasionally, larger individuals are also found. This bug belongs to the category of predators, as evidenced by its powerful jaws, adapted for hunting fairly large butterfly caterpillars.
Describing how the beetle looked beautiful, one can not fail to note its amazing ability to distinguish in case of danger a secret that has a very pungent smell. Due to this feature, the beetle was called “odorous”.
Habitat
Beauty beetle can be found in many countries of Western Europe, in the mountain forests of Central Asia, in northwestern Africa, in Turkey, Iran, Syria. In Russia, its main habitat is the western part up to the Urals.
It is found mainly in broad-leaved forests and parks, preferring to dwell on trees.
The beetle was beautiful - interesting facts
The main difference between this insect and ordinary large ground beetles is its ability to deftly move through trees, eating caterpillars. In addition, the bug flies well and can travel considerable distances in search of food. After the main feed gradually disappears by the end of summer, the insects begin preparing for the winter, which they spend in the soil, under a layer of foliage.
With the onset of spring, the beetles have a mating period and egg laying. One female can lay about 100 eggs, of which approximately 5–7 days later, larvae are born. In one season, mating can occur repeatedly. Young individuals appear in August or early September. Adult beetle beetle is able to live up to 4 years.
Although this is a predator, nevertheless, the insect is endowed with a tool of protection. When danger arises, the bug turns to the enemy with its back, throwing a stream of poisonous and very odorous liquid in its direction. For a person, it does not pose a serious danger, but it can cause itching and irritation of the skin or mucous membrane.
Beetle feeding
Favorite food for this insect are caterpillars, which for the most part live in the crowns of trees. The beetle beetle seeks out its prey with the help of sight, and not by smell, unlike other ground beetles. He pursues her, deftly running along the trunk of a tree, and then, grabbing, pulls him to the ground, where he kills and starts a meal. Previously, the beetle, filling the body of the caterpillar with its saliva, turns it into a liquid slurry for more convenient absorption. The powerful jaws, which are clearly visible in the photo of the beauty beetle, posted in this article, help him in this.
Caterpillars and pupae of a wide variety of butterflies, including such serious forest pests as a nun, unpaired silkworm, and crested goat, are consumed. This predator has very hairy caterpillars that even insectivorous birds do not eat. No wonder he is called an associate of foresters and the winner of the silkworm. In one season, the bug beetle with its family is able to destroy up to 6 thousand caterpillars. He also hunts butterflies dozing on tree branches, killing them and biting into the abdomen.
In addition, the predator does not disdain and completely different food. It happens that the beetle attacks and fledglings chicks sitting in the nest. Its victim may be any other bug that got in the way, even if it is much larger.
Larvae feeding
Until the covers of the newborn larva become black and shiny, it is in its egg cradle. Then she crawls to the surface of the soil and begins to search for food. The larva is no less aggressive predator than the adult beetle beetle, a description of the feeding methods of which is given above.
On the head of the larva are located the same powerful jaws, each of which is equipped with a sharp tooth from the inside. Thanks to them, the captured victim is easy to hold, sucking its contents. Usually the larva eats only a small part of its prey. They hunt almost round the clock. In search of food, the larvae adroitly crawl into the spider web nests of silkworms, whose caterpillars live in large clusters. By emptying them, they thereby bring great benefit, restraining the growth in the number of these harmful insects.
The benefits of the beetle were beautiful
This type of insect was used in France in 1840 for the purpose of biological control of caterpillars of butterfly pests. To destroy unpaired silkworms, he was later brought to America, where he was bred in special insectariums. The beetle was beautiful - a predator no less useful than the well-known ladybug that destroys aphids. The large size of the beetle allows it to cope with pests of the corresponding "growth". Dwelling in large numbers in gardens and fields, these predators help people, eliminating the need to spend energy and money on combating insect pests.
