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A black beetle often goes unnoticed because of its color. The situation is different for large beetles. There are various types of black beetles in the house and garden, and they are not only useful.

In a nutshell

  • among the longhorn beetles there are many large black species
  • a black beetle in the house can be a sign of a pest infestation
  • a large beetle is rare in nature as they represent easy prey

Scarab Beetle (Scarabaeidae)

The scarab beetle family is very large and actually colourful. They include species such as the rose chafer or the genus of scarabs, which are not native to the area. Due to the diversity of species, the scarab beetle family is divided into numerous subfamilies, which also include some larger species.

Hermit (Osmoderma eremita)

  • Size: up to 38mm
  • Characteristics: black-brown, shiny, males with humps on the head, hall shield with prominent longitudinal ridges
  • Occurrence: in the area of older trees with mulm
  • Food beetles: pollen, nectar
  • Food larvae: Mulm

Notice: The hermit is also called the "Eastern Hermit Beetle" and is a rare species. However, it became well known to the public through the "Stuttgart 21" railway project, because several trees that served as its habitat were removed for the construction.

Variable scarer beetle (Gnorimus variabilis)

  • Size: up to 23mm
  • Characteristics: shiny, wrinkled elytra, wings occasionally with 4 - 5 light spots
  • Occurrence: deciduous forests, parks with old trees
  • Food beetles: pollen, nectar, tree sap
  • Food larvae: Mulm

Longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae)

Longhorn beetles are distributed worldwide. A particularly large beetle of this species can be found in Brazil. There are around 200 native species in Europe, but they often cause problems. A black beetle in the area of the roof truss can be a sign of a pest infestation, because it is often the house longhorn.

House Longhorn (Hylotrupes bajulus)

  • Size: up to 24mm
  • Characteristics: slender shape, pronotum with two elevations, slightly hairy
  • Occurrence: Coniferous forests, coniferous roof structures
  • Food beetles: probably none
  • Food larvae: dead coniferous wood

Lesser beetle (Cerambyx scopolii)

Source: xulescu_g, Cerambyx scopolii (16114817808), Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Size: up to 28mm
  • Characteristics: wrinkled elytra, antennae in males are longer than the body, finely hairy
  • Occurrence: deciduous forests, meadow orchards
  • Food beetles: pollen, nectar, tree sap
  • Food larvae: wood of deciduous trees

Forest Buck (Spondylis buprestoides)

Source: Francisco Welter-Schultes, Spondylis-buprestoides-01-fws, Adapted from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Size: up to 24mm
  • Characteristics: cylindrical physique, antennae like a string of pearls, yellow fringe of hair on the pronotum
  • Occurrence: coniferous forests
  • food beetles: none
  • Food larvae: wood of pine, spruce, fir, larch

rove beetle (Staphylinidae)

The short-winged species are characterized by having very short or stunted wings. As a result, they are mostly unable to fly.

Hornet striated beetle (Velleius dilatatus)

Source: Ben Sale from Stevenage, UK, Velleius dilatatus (29705224777), edited by Plantopedia, CC BY 2.0
  • Size: up to 26mm
  • Characteristics: saw-tooth antennal segment, elytra occasionally also black-brown
  • Occurrence: Hornet nests, gardens, forests, meadow orchards
  • Food beetles: dead and live larvae of hornets and flies, occasionally tree sap
  • Food larvae of hornets and flies

Ocypus ophthalmicus

Source: AfroBrazilian, Ocypus ophthalmicus 01, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Size: up to 23mm
  • Characteristics: pronotum and head finely dotted, articulated physique
  • Occurrence: Forests, bushes, gardens
  • Food beetles: worms, insects, snails
  • Food larvae: worms, insects, snails

ground beetles (Carabidae)

The ground beetle no longer quite deserves its name. Only a few species are actually flightless, but can still spread well. However, due to recent genetic studies and the discovery of other species, there are species within this family that are capable of flying.

Large broad beetle (Abax parallelepipedus)

  • Size: up to 21mm
  • Characteristics: bristles over the eyes, broad shiny pronotum, pronotum with a long notch in the middle, elytra with longitudinal grooves
  • Occurrence: forests
  • Food insects, snails
  • Food larvae: insects, smaller snails

Leather ground beetle (Carabus coriaceus)

Source: Katya from Moscow, Russia, Жужелица шагреневая (Жужелица черная)- Carabus coriaceus - Черен бегач - Leather Ground Beetle (22702957014), Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Size: up to 40mm
  • Characteristics: dull, pronotum and elytra wrinkled, making them look like leather
  • Occurrence: Forests, bushes, natural gardens, prefers moisture
  • Food insects, snails, worms
  • Food larvae: insects, snails, worms, carrion

Dung Beetles (Geotrupidae)

Dung beetles are distributed all over the world and are best known for their brood care. In some species, the larvae feed on dung that the beetles place in the brood chambers. However, there are also subspecies that collect fresh leaves for their offspring and put them macerated in the brood cavity.

Bull beetle (Typhaeus typhoeus)

  • Size: up to 25mm
  • Characteristics: Glossy, males have three horns on the pronotum. Horns point forward
  • Occurrence: sandy areas, heaths, pine forests
  • Food beetles: droppings from rabbits, sheep, deer
  • Food larvae: droppings from rabbits, sheep, deer

Forest Dung Beetle (Anoplotrupes stercorosus)

Source: Georg Wiora; Edit by Waugsberg (colors, sharpening), Bug moving dead snail with fly 1a, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Size: up to 20mm
  • Characteristics: black-blue, metallic luster, occasionally also brownish, violet or greenish luster
  • Occurrence: forests
  • Food beetles: droppings
  • Food larvae: feces

Click beetle (Elateridae)

Characteristic of the click beetle is the ability to quickly move away from a point using a jumping device. A kind of clicking noise can even be heard, which is why the beetles are also called “click beetles” in English. In Europe, however, the population of species is declining because they often rely on wetlands for habitat.

Click Beetle (Selatosomus aeneus)

  • Size: up to 16mm
  • Characteristics: shiny metallic, pronotum finely dotted, elytra with longitudinal grooves
  • Occurrence: Meadows, fields, nutrient-poor grassland, low bushes
  • Food beetles: flowers, leaves
  • Food larvae: roots, occasionally insect larvae and small worms

Metal-colored click beetle (Ctenicera pectinicornis)

  • Size: up to 18mm
  • Characteristics: shiny metal, body tapering to a point at the back, males have combed antennae, females tend to have serrated antennae
  • Occurrence: Forest edges, bushes, wet meadows
  • Food beetles: flowers, leaves
  • Food larvae: plant roots

Schroeder (Lucanidae)

The assignment of the Schröter family has not yet been clearly regulated. So far they still belong to the scarab beetle family, but they could be spun off as a separate family. There is a very well-known large black beetle in this family, but it has become increasingly rare in recent years. The stag beetle is the best-known representative in Europe.

Bark Schroeder (Dorcus parallelipipedus)

  • Size: up to 30mm
  • Characteristics: shiny metal, body tapering to a point at the back, males have combed antennae, females tend to have serrated antennae
  • Occurrence: Forest edges, bushes, wet meadows
  • Food beetles: flowers, leaves
  • Food larvae: plant roots

Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus)

  • Size: up to 40mm
  • Characteristics: males with enlarged antler-like upper jaw, females with small upper jaw,
  • Occurrence: forests
  • Food beetles: tree saps
  • Food larvae: fungal wood

Notice: Although the stag beetle is a very large beetle, it is becoming increasingly rare as habitats disappear. The impressive beetle is mainly found in original forests with large stocks of dead wood.

Black beetle (Tenebrionidae)

The name "black beetle" is often misleading, because there are not only black beetle species within the family. The group of black beetles includes many species that look very similar to other families and are therefore often not easy to identify. Within the family there is a large beetle, which is also considered a storage pest, the flour beetle.

Meal Beetle (Tenebrio molitor)

Tenebrio molitor. Source: Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark, Tenebrio molitor (42203443085), crop from Plantopedia, CC BY 2.0
  • Size: up to 18mm
  • Characteristics: juveniles are more reddish-brown in colour, elytra with longitudinal grooves, reddish-brown underneath
  • Occurrence: Inherited cultures, forests
  • Food beetles: baked goods, flour, starchy plants
  • Food larvae: starchy vegetable food, occasionally also cannibalistic against conspecifics

Notice: A black beetle of this species is also often brought into the house by decorative material. Therefore, try to disinfect collected pieces of bark or branches beforehand at a high temperature to prevent pests from spreading in the house.

frequently asked Questions

Which large beetle is the largest native species?

The stag beetle is not only a black beetle, but also the largest native species of beetle. In the total length from the "antlers" to the abdomen, it can be up to 9 cm long.

How do I know if a large black beetle is a pest?

It is not possible to tell from the outside whether a species is harmful. An indication that it is a pest is the way of life or the living environment. Pests are found, for example, in the area of the building fabric or food.

Can a black beetle of one species have other colors?

Yes, variations in coloring are normal. A large black beetle that has a metallic sheen can also appear visually different in the light. Not all species are completely black. There are color nuances within the species and occasionally female specimens have a slightly lighter color that goes into brown.

What black beetle flies around in early spring?

In the spring, a large insect can often be observed that many identify as a large beetle. However, this is not a beetle, but the blue-black carpenter bee. However, a black beetle can also be observed in spring, the oil beetle. However, it is unable to fly and lives parasitically on wild bee nests. The oil beetle was previously also suspected of infesting beehives, which has now turned out to be wrong.

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Animals in the garden