Subject: Garden pest?
Geographic location of the bug: Belgrade, Maine
Date: 06/12/2019
Time: 07:57 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Saw these tiny little perfect holes in my newly seeded beet bed and carefully excavated with a small twig, maintaining the integrity of the hole; when I got to about 5-6 cm. down this “scary” beast jumped up and attacked the stick! It’s about 1.5 cm long. Could this be what made for an unsuccessful beet bed last year?
How you want your letter signed: Mary
Not at all Mary. This is a beneficial, predatory Tiger Beetle larva. Here is a BugGuide image for comparison.
Thank you! So wonderful- I was hoping it was one of the ground beetles! Not being sure, I set it free behind my house far from vegie garden, in my wildflower garden! Now I will know for sure and will leave them be. This is the first year I haven’t rototilled, hoping to encourage beneficials.