General
In our country we have a lot of representatives of the ground beetle family (Carabidae). These insects walk fast, and many species are unable to fly, because of a lack of wings, or because the elytra are inter-grown. The Strawberry Seed Beetle can fly however. In most species of ground beetles, both the larvae and the beetle actively hunt prey, such as worms, slugs or insects.

Appearance
The strawberry seed beetle is brown to black, shiny and has a somewhat flatted shape, like most ground beetles. The elytra have fine grooves in the longitudinal direction. The beetle is 14 – 16 mm long.

Development and lifestyle
The strawberry seed beetle can be found in dark places during the day, under rocks etc. In the fall the eggs are dropped in the soil, where the hatched larvae feed on other small animals. The strawberry seed beetle is common in dry sand soil and can overwinter as larvae and as beetle. The beetles prefer to eat the seeds of the strawberries, seriously damaging the fruit, but also seeds of spruce, Scots pine and larch. Sometimes they gnaw through the young spruce seedlings. For people, pets and goods, they are perfectly harmless. It is a known fact that these insects sometimes settle in the field in great numbers. Especially in warm weather they easily enter buildings via the fields.

Control
During the summer in particular, ground beetles can invade houses which can be very annoying. This can be prevented by placing ventilation ducts with a fish mesh.

In addition it is recommended to keep windows and doors closed at night in warm weather or to fit windows with fly screens. Strawberry seed beetles are nocturnal animals that fly around when it gets dark; they are attracted by light. Beetles that have entered your house can be captured and released outside. The application of insecticides to eliminate strawberry see beetles is unnecessary and therefore undesired.