Black Bean Aphid vs Red-bellied Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Bean Aphid Red-bellied Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Aphis fabae Tasgius melanarius
Order Hemiptera Coleoptera
Family Aphididae Staphylinidae
Size 1.5-3 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Gardens Gardens
Diet Sap Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, North America, Asia, Africa Europe, introduced to North America and Australia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Black Bean Aphid

A soft-bodied black aphid that forms dense colonies on beans, sugar beet, and many garden plants. It overwinters as eggs on spindle trees and migrates to crops in spring.

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Did You Know?

A single aphid can produce billions of descendants in one growing season through rapid asexual reproduction.

Red-bellied Rove Beetle

A large, shiny black rove beetle with a reddish-brown abdominal tip, found in synanthropic habitats across Europe. It is commonly encountered in gardens and urban areas where it hunts at night.

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Did You Know?

This beetle is one of the most synanthropic rove beetles, frequently entering houses and cellars where it is often mistaken for an earwig.