From

Location

Message

Date Posted

New Brunswick

My hubby recently found this bug attacking and killing a much larger earthworm. No one around here has seen such a thing before. Does anyone out there know what it is? It is pictured as item 24 or 25 in my diary. It is hard shelled, black and segemented..with only 6 legs.

7/25/2003 10:27:20 PM

Chico, Ca

kind of looks like an earwig nymph. how long is it. They are 1/2" to 3/4" long. here in california. Do you even have earwigs in your region?

Robert

7/26/2003 2:39:12 AM

New Brunswick

Yes we have earwigs...but it is nothing like those. It is at least an inch long and is jet black. It has segmented body parts with one leg on each of the first three segments. It is hard shelled and very hard to kill. The first one my hubby saw was very viciously attacking an earthworm. We have seen three of these and one under attack earthworm was literally severed in too. I found this one while digging in my flower bed. I have contacted our dept of agriculture and the man there wants me to bring it in, as he could not identify it by my description. Hopefully someone will be able to identify it. I hate losing all my earthworms from my flower beds and gardens to these blasted things! I have lived in farming country all my life and never have I or anyone else I have shown it to, seen such a thing. If you can find out anything more about its possible identity please let me know.

7/26/2003 9:26:28 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

i see them all the time, they are called Predacious Ground Beetles, see the link.
http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse002/inse002.htm

Glenn

7/29/2003 11:14:06 AM