198 



Commercial Gardening 



wing cases. Another species (C. dispar) is shown at 8, fig. 154. The 

 larvae or maggots of these Ladybirds, shown at 3, fig. 154, are slate-col- 

 oured and yellowish, and remind one of miniature alligators in appear- 

 ance. It is these larvae that feed largely on aphides, and thus help the 

 gardener by suppressing them. The maggots and ladybirds therefore 



Fig. 156. Devil's Coach Horse, or Fetid Rove Beetle (Ocypw olenn) 



1, Larva. 2, Full-grown beetle on the wing. 3, Head 

 enlarged, showing the powerful jaws. 



Fig. 156. Violet Ground 

 Beetle (Carabus violaceus) 



should never be destroyed in gardens, and all children should be instructed 

 as to their value. 



The Devil's Coach Horse. This is also known as the Fetid Rove 

 Beetle (Ocypus olens). It has a long, narrow, deep -black body, and preys 

 upon insects with great energy, and will soon tear an earwig to pieces. The 

 larvae also feed upon insect pests. During the month of May the insect 

 is in the pupa or chrysalis state, but is very frequently 

 S/N. / /' me ^ w ^h * n au tuinn. Fig. 155 shows the full-grown 



^ - - - ' * beetle and the larval stage, and the enlarged head shows 

 the powerful jaws. 



The Violet Ground Beetle (fig. 156) is known as 

 Carabus violaceus. It is an insect-eating beetle often 

 found under stones and clods of earth, and is very 

 often killed by those who are ignorant of its garden 

 value. It has a violet-black body and rather coarsely 

 granulated wing cases, and should be readily recognized 

 by all cultivators as a friend. 



The Tiger Beetle (Gicindela sylvatica), shown in 

 fig. 157, is a black beetle with a violet under surface, 

 and is very active in search of prey. The common 

 Tiger Beetle (C. campestris) inhabits banks and sandy 

 commons. It is about \ in. long, and is green in colour with six white 

 spots on each wing case, including the round one on the disk. The larva 

 has a large head and a hump on its back near the tail, bearing two spines, 

 by means of which it anchors itself in its burrow, waiting for its prey. 

 Other kinds of insect-eating beetles are those known under the names 

 of Pterostichus madidus and P. cupreus, often called Sun Beetles, owing 



Fig. 157. Tiger Beetle 



(Cicindela nylvatica) 



