Stephen Albert
Rove beetles are beneficial insects.
Adult and larvae rove beetles eat soft-bodied pest insects including the eggs and larvae of aphids, mites, and mealybugs. They also eat nematodes, cabbage maggots, caterpillars, grubs, fly maggots and pupae, and the larvae of root maggots.
Rove beetles eat rotting vegetation and insects that feed on the decaying flesh of dead animals.
Rove beetles are not attracted to the garden by specific plants, but a diversity of perennial plants will give them places find food. Rove beetles take shelter under boards, pots, rocks, tree bark, and garden debris during the day. You can encourage rove beetles by providing shelter.
Rove beetles are about 1/10 to 1 inches long. They are black or brown and have elongated bodies with short wing covers that leave most of their abdominal segments uncovered. Some have red wing covers and markings. They can fly.
Rove beetle larvae are off-white or beige with dark heads and resemble adults though wingless.
Some rove beetles react to threats by tipping their abdomens up, like scorpions do, but they can’t sting, though some can bite. They have modified mouthparts for chewing and long sharp mandibles that close sideways in front of the head.
Rove beetles are nocturnal feeders and scavengers. They feed in slightly moist places below ground or in soil litter. They are most active during warm weather. They overwinter as larvae, pupae, or adults.
There are more than 3,100 species of rove beetles in North America.
Scientific name: Family Staphylinidae
