On Sat, 24 May 2003 21:12:50 +0100, Drakanthus
wrote:

Hi,
now the rain has stopped I thought i would tidy out the greenhouse. i
noticed a few large beetles scurrying across the floor as i was
sweeping up. I later noticed a few on the flower bed outside.

Are they friend or foe?


Ground beetles (shiny black about 1cm long) are friends, they eat various
foe insects.

Vine weevil beetles are deadly foes - terminate them with extreme
prejudice
upon sight!

I suggest you look on the web for a few pictures, very difficult to
describe
some insects. Worth knowing which ones to scoop out of the bath with care
or
gently usher outside from near an open door or those to flatten at any
and
every opportunity!

As a very general rule of thumb, the ones which run fast, often slightly
flattened, tend to be carnivorous - more-or-less good.
the ones that are slow, more often than not rounded, tend to be
vegetarians. Whether they are eating your plants or just rotting matter is
difficult to tell.
Compare a (vegetarian) millipede with (carnivorous) centipede. Tim.