Ground Beetles

The Ground Beetles, otherwise known as Carabidae, are a large family of beetles characterised by their way of living. Ground Beetles will either be soil or ground dwellers, and they're incredibly diverse! They can be large or small, shiny or matte. Most are dull in colour, although some species possess metallic hues! They're considered beneficial insects for the garden as most are polyphagous, meaning they'll eat lots of different things. Some, however, are more specialist, eating only a few or one type of food. The Violet Ground Beetle (Carabus violaceus) is a reasonably large beetle spanning roughly 2.5 cm in length. An adult will eat a variety of things, including slugs, leatherjackets, cutworms and caterpillars!