Bugs #11 - African Black Beetle
The African black beetle, also known as black lawn beetle or black maize beetle, is a species of beetle in the subfamily Dynastinae12. It is native to Africa and has been introduced to Australia, Norfolk Island, and the North Island of New Zealand1. Both adults and larvae of the beetle attack pastures, cereals, and a wide range of horticultural crops34. The adult beetles are glossy black, oval-shaped, and generally 12-15mm long2. They are more likely to invade the outside of homes and have a pure shiny black color all over their short oval-shaped bodies5.
The adult beetle is the main pest stage. The soil-dwelling larval stage is present for only three to four months each year.
Adult beetles are economically important because they attack a wide range of plants including:
- pasture, particularly newly-sown ryegrass and perennial grasses such as couch and kikuyu
- barley, triticale and wheat, but oats is not attacked as readily
- irrigated and dryland summer forage such as millet and maize
- turf
- many vegetable crops, most importantly potatoes
- grapevines, olives and trees in truffle orchards
- ornamental plants and newly-planted trees such as blue gums.
Larvae are less economically important but can damage turf and underground crops, notably potato tubers.
Dung Beetles
Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Many dung beetles, known as rollers, roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding chambers.
Others, known as tunnelers, bury the dung wherever they find it.