Origin
Several species of the Scarabaeidae family are known under this name. The most important species in central and Eastern Europe are the May carabus and the forest carabus .
Carabuses are widespread in almost all of Europe. They can be found on various deciduous species, such as maple, oak, beech, birch, Mountain Ash, Poplar, Walnut, Chestnut, fruit trees, as well as on conifers, such as larch and green duglas.
Besides these, carabuses also attack various herbs, cucumbers, beets and salads.
Carabus Food
Adult carabuses feed on the leaves of their host trees. In the event of a mass invasion, the tree can be completely leafless.
In general, the eaten leaves of plants are replaced by new ones in June.
But the fact that carabus larvae feed on the roots of plants can be so harmful that the plants become very weakened, and in a stronger storm they can be torn from the roots.
Carabus Features
It has a length of 20-30 mm long; the head, the neck plate and the posterior part of the body, as well as the lower part are black; the wings (elytra) are brown and have some longitudinal elevations, well formed.
On the head is inserted a pair of bent antennae, which in males have at the end 7 long fringes, like leaves; the antennae of females have only 6 fringes similar, but somewhat shorter; larvae reach up to 65 mm long; are whitish, yellow and rounded in the abdominal area (specific shape of carabus larvae); they have 3 pairs of legs that start from the chest area, and their head is brown and clearly delimited from the rest of the body.
The natural predators of carabuses are: bats, owls, Crows, sparrows, blackbirds, hedgehogs, moles, chitcans, parasitic wasps, flies of the family Tachinidae, etc.the soil should be regularly loosened and well watered. The layers of plants should be covered with a stretched piece of plastic or canvas, throughout the flight of the carabuses.
Plant dandelions, as they are preferred as the food of carabuses. If they have enough dandelions to feed, then the other plants are ignored. If garlic gruel is used, carabuses can be driven away.
Reproduction Carabus
The Flying period of the carbuses occurs in April and May, and then they swarm in flight around noon and noon. After a feeding period, the female carabus lays about 10-30 round and yellowish eggs, arranged in piles, 5-25 cm deep in the ground.
Then the female flies again into the forest, orchards with fruit trees or in gardens, to feed herself. After this feeding phase she lays another row of eggs, but in a smaller number than the first time. She lays about 20 eggs at this stage. After a third feeding phase, the female lays the third row of eggs, in even smaller quantities.
After 4-6 weeks the embryonic evolution ends and the larvae hatch. They need 3-5 years to achieve pupal transformation, and then metamorphosis into adult carabuses.
The larvae feed on humous substances and plant roots. In the last stage of larva transformation into pupa occurs in summer, and the young carabus Hatch already at the end of summer. It first overwinters, then the next spring comes out of the ground.
Related and similar species in the family Scarabaeidae: marbled carabus, garden carabus, June carabus and Golden carabus.
