DENSITIES OF OVERWINTERING CARABIDS AND STAPHYLINIDS (COL, CARABIDAE AND STAPHYLINIDAE) IN CEREAL AND GRASS FIELDS AND THEIR BOUNDARIES

Abundances of carabids and staphylinids were measured during four wint ers in four fields with grass or autumn ploughed spring cereals, and i n their boundaries. Most species were significantly more abundant in t he boundaries than in the fields, indicating the high importance of bo undaries in the agricultural landscape for these predator groups. Only the carabid Clivina fossor and staphylinids belonging to the genus La throbium were evenly distributed throughout the entire area. As none o f the species with higher populations in the grass fields and their bo undaries were among the important predators of insect pests in agricul tural fields, it was concluded that the grass fields were of limited i mportance as a reservoir for the predatory beetles.