Why Ground Beetles Invade Hendersonville Properties

Ground beetles, known as carabids, are one of the largest insect families on the planet. In the United States we have over 2,000 species. Beetles are easy enough to find in Nashville—under rocks, beneath splash blocks and lawn debris, beneath planter pots and in garden soil. 

Mostly, ground beetles are beneficial. It’s only when they make their way indoors that they present problems. Most ground beetles help with the control of insect pests and certain weeds. In fact, they're so beneficial that some Hendersonville residents take steps to invite ground beetles into their yards. But, on rare occasions, scarab beetles, like the Japanese beetle, can create trouble. The larvae of Japanese beetles (called grub worms) can eat the roots of turfgrass and create dead patches in lawns. But we're not going to focus on those today. We're going to talk about how beetles can sometimes invade Hendersonville homes by accident, and what you can do to stop them.

What You Need To Know Most

Beetles don't want to live in your home. The habitat inside your home is not suitable for them. That means there is really nothing you can do on the inside of your home to make beetles change their minds about coming indoors. All of your work needs to be on the outside.

Exclusions

The key way to keep ground beetles (and all general pests) out of your home is to seal potential entry points.

• A damaged screen can allow ground beetles to get in between your screen and your sliding glass doors or windows. When you open a door or window that has a compromised screen, beetles can come right inside.

• Damaged door sweeps and weatherstripping can give easy access to ground beetles. Replace old sweeps and weatherstripping. In some cases, you may also need to adjust the alignment of doors to create a good seal.

• Use a caulking gun to seal gaps around pipes, holes created by wood-destroying pests, and gaps around window and door frames.

• An open door is an open invitation. If you or your kids leave doors open, ground beetles could easily take advantage of this invitation. Try to keep doors closed when you're not entering or exiting.

Attractants

There are conditions that can bring ground beetles close to your home. If you alter these conditions, you'll have fewer ground beetles accidentally finding their way inside your home.

• Remove leaf litter and leaf piles near your home. Be sure to blow leaves out from underneath your deck and other exterior structures. These are a perfect habitat for ground beetles.

• If you have campfire wood, construction materials, or some other wood source near your home, consider moving them away from your exterior.

• Old logs, branches, and other decaying wood debris is worse than fire wood and construction materials. You should never allow these to be near your exterior. Ground beetles are far from the worst pest that will inhabit this material.

• Light is an attractant. It is a good idea to keep exterior lights off at night where it is not a security concern, or you can replace white lights with yellow lights. It is also helpful to keep shades drawn at night. This keeps interior light from being an attractant.

Perimeter Protection

If you keep having annoying visits from ground beetles, keep in mind that the best way to address indoor pests in Hendersonville is to invest in Perimeter Plus Pest Control. Reach out to us today to learn how our Perimeter Plus program can give you coverage for over 47 of Tennessee's most common household pests, including ground beetles! Schedule a free home evaluation to get started.