Location
I found a beetle larvae under a piece of plastic in my garden that we use to attract slow worms.Video
Unfortunately, I let the larvae go without recording it. But I did find beetles of the calosoma spp. which I think might be Calosoma externum. Here is a video of the beetles.
What is it?
This beetle is in the Carabidae family commonly known as ground beetles.
I searched on the internet and it appears to be Calosoma inquisitor.
There is not a lot of information about this species on the internet so I am going to give you some information on this genus, their common name being caterpillar hunters
I searched on the internet and it appears to be Calosoma inquisitor.
There is not a lot of information about this species on the internet so I am going to give you some information on this genus, their common name being caterpillar hunters
What do they eat?
They feed on caterpillars in oak canopy. For some reason the beetles like female caterpillars more then males . They also feed on: aphids, grubs, snails, earthworms and slugs.What eats them?
After researching I couldn't find anything conclusive, but I assume: badgers,birds and many others.
Life Cycle
Like all beetles there are 4 stages of development: egg, larvae, pupa and adult. It normally takes around a year to go through this process.
Fun Facts
In 1905 a species of Calosoma was imported to New England for control of the gypsy moth.
One of their favourite caterpillars to eat are processionary caterpillars. If you would like to know about processionary caterpillars click here .
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