Ground beetle invasion

A good spring rain, some say. Others have identified unusually high caterpillar populations as the cause. But whatever the reason, springtime can sometimes bring massive inundations of large (1 inch or more long) black beetles to parks, golf courses, and even inside homes. Known variously as Calosoma, black calosomas, common calosomas, caterpillar hunters and stink bugs, these beetles are always present, but rarely noticed in most years. However, there are occasional years when weather conditions conspire to create ideal conditions…