Entomology (Study of Bugs)/Large black beetle?

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Expert: Eric R. Eaton - 5/30/2006


Question
Each year around this time (end of May, beginning of June), hundreds of large black beetles with pinchers arise from the ground in my front yard. They are everywhere. I have a lawn service that puts down a grub control each year along with various timely fertilizer treatments but these appeared even before that. I live in Toledo, Ohio

Answer

Karen:

Boy, could be any of several different things.  Scarab beetles of some kind are a likely possibility, as are, potentially, beetles in the family Passalidae (though they occur in rotting wood).  Some ground beetles fit your description, but they are fast-moving predators and are not normally seen in great numbers.  Some root borers (family Cerambycidae, subfamily Prioninae) also fit the bill, but they tend to emerge later in the year (mid-summer or so).

I would recommend perusing images of all of these critters at:

http://www.bugguide.net

and seeing if you can find a match.  Just having things to compare to can be helpful.  Feel free to get back to me with a "it looks most like the....except my critter has...." kind of comment:-)  We'll figure it out.  Just doesn't always happen with the first query.

Thanks for the question, let's keep talking.

Eric
bugeric@webtv.net

Entomology (Study of Bugs)

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Eric R. Eaton

Expertise

I can answer most questions related to wasps, solitary bees, grasshoppers and katydids, beetles, cicadas, and spiders, and identification of "mystery bugs" in North America. No "what bit me?" or "what do I feed this bug in captivity?" questions please.

Experience

Principal author, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. Professional entomologist employed previously at University of Massachusetts, Chase Studio, Inc., and Cincinnati Zoo; contract work for West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Smithsonian Institution, and Portland (Oregon) State University.

Organizations
Entomological Society of America, National Association of Science Writers

Publications
Author, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, Missouri Conservationist magazine, Ranger Rick, Timeline (journal of the Ohio Historical Society). I have contributed to several books as well.

Education/Credentials
Oregon State University, undergraduate major in entomology, did not receive degree.

Past/Present Clients
Principal author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, Smithsonian Institution (contract), Cincinnati Zoo (employer), Portland State University (contract), Chase Studio, Inc (employer), Arkansas Museum of Discovery (guest speaker). Currently seeking employment in a highly creative work environment with a media corporation or non-profit.

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