Ground beetles are beetles and include several different species. They are fast and good at running, staying on the ground where they hunt other insects. Some species are predators, mainly the larger ones. They prefer small animals, such as insects and spiders, but also eat small worms, snails and slugs. But there are also herbivorous ground beetles [1].
Ground beetles are important feeders of both pests and seeds of several grass varieties, contributing to reducing weeds. They can be a significant complement to both mechanical and chemical weed control methods [2].
Key Functions
● Eating pests
● Contributes to the reduction of weeds
Threat
● Pesticides and herbicides
Common Species
There are about 34,000 species of ground beetles in the world, and about 342 native species live in Sweden [4].
Some species to discover in nature:
● Green Tiger Beetles (Cicindela campestris)
Wildlife Trust – Green tiger beetle 
● Great Blackclock (Pterostichus niger)
iNaturalist – Great Blackclock
● Bronze Ground Beetle (Carabus nemoralis)
iNaturalist – Bronze Ground Beetle
● Rain Beetle (Pterostichus melanarius)
iNaturalist – Rain Beetle
● Strawberry Seed Beetle (Harpalus rufipes)
iNaturalist – Strawberry Seed Beetle
● European Gazelle Beetle (Nebria brevicollis)
iNaturalist – European Gazelle Beetle
The following beetle species has no English translation yet:
● Skogssvartlöpare
https://artfakta.se/artbestamning/taxon/Pterostichus%20oblongopunctatus-103403
● Vårsollöpare
https://artfakta.se/artbestamning/taxon/Poecilus%20versicolor-103401
● Kärrsvartlöpare
https://artfakta.se/artbestamning/taxon/Pterostichus%20nigrita-103407
● Mörk grenlöpare
https://artfakta.se/artbestamning/taxon/Dromius%20agilis-103540
Sources
- https://www2.jordbruksverket.se/webdav/files/SJV/trycksaker/Pdf_ovrigt/ovr265_4v 2.pdf
- Jordbruks Aktuellt – Less amount of weeds with the help of seed eaters
- Wikipedia – Ground Beetles
May 2022, TÄNKOM | Revised February 2024 RETHINK
