Rove Beetles

“G. B. Mc Keown” (Draperstown) also sends two beetles which he says are locally known as “douel” or “dools”. He has at different times seen them killing worms, and remarks that in their actions they are somewhat like earwigs, and suggests that so close is the resemblance it is possible the story of the earwig biting originated through the belief that these beetles really were earwigs. We discussed the earwig question in this column in the early part of the year, and I think it was pretty conclusively proved that the earwig did not nip with its forceps, but that these were simply tools employed in the process of packing away its wings. It is quite possible there is something in our correspondent’s theory, for the beetles he sent are Rove Beetles. The members of this entire family, consisting of many British specimens, have the habit of turning up the abdomen when disturbed or excited, exactly as does the earwig–which, by the way, is not a beetle. From this habit they are known in many districts as “cock-tail beetles”. For the most part they are carnivorous, and prey on all kinds of larvae and on other insects, as well as upon slugs, snails, and worms. They also feed largely on carrion and to some degree on vegetable matter. The well-known “Devil’s Coach-horse” beetle is a member of the family, and is classed as one of our most beneficial insects as it clears the ground of many noxious insects. the scientific name of the beetles sent is Creophilus maxillosus L.–[E.]