 While the other three feed on fungi, "Laricobius" species feed on adelgids, tiny insects very similar to aphids.Some adelgids are destructive forest pests, and "Laricobius" beetles have been employed as agents of biological pest control to prey on them and reduce their populations.An example is "Laricobius nigrinus", which is released in forests to control the hemlock woolly adelgid ("Adelges tsugae").