Every time I promise myself that I won’t write any more about green tiger beetles, I see another side to them which I simply have to share. These photographs were taken towards the end of May and I had once again taken poo samples from our llama and goats, to our farm vet for a worm count. It’s a 45-minute drive and as the beetles are only another five minutes away, it makes sense to take my camera.
This day was quite hot and at first I couldn’t find any beetles in their normal location. It may have been the heat, or perhaps they were well into breeding season, but once I started looking more closely, I found them scattered across a much wider area. Eventually, I found a mating pair and lowered myself to the ground as slowly as possible. The ground was rock hard and covered in assorted lumps and as I settled down, I felt the familiar pain of a popped rib. Switching slightly to the other side to get more comfortable, another one went, but I resolved to stay put.
I had just begun to take some photographs, when I spotted a black rove beetle whizz past my right ear. I didn’t give it much thought until seconds later, the female tiger beetle had it gripped firmly in her jaws. These bugs are ferocious hunters, but rove beetles are no pushover. They can curve their abdomen round to spray chemical deterrents, aimed at the sensitive eyes of its attacker. This is what happened in the image featured at the top, where the foam can clearly be seen behind the female’s eye.
Later, the female shook off the now unwanted male and wandered off with her prize.
