Last year, the focus of the Insect of the Week was crop pests. This year, we’re changing things up and highlighting the many natural enemies that help you out, silently and efficiently killing off crop pests. [note: featured Insects of the Week in 2015 are available on the Insect of the Week page]
This week’s Insect of the Week is the rove beetle (Delia spp.), is a generalist predator. The adult feeds on aphids, mites and larvae of many species under plant debris, rocks, dead animals, dung and other materials. The rove beetle larvae have similar hosts as the adult; the larvae of Aleochara spp parasitize various fly species including cabbage root maggot.
For more information about rove beetle, the pests it controls and other important crop and forage insects, see the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide for identification, life cycle and conservation options (download links for field guide available on the Insect of the Week page).
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| Adult rove beetle. (c) AAFC-Tyler Wist |
