The grain weevil, also called the granary weevil or wheat weevil, is a tiny beetle with a long snout that lives inside stored grain. It is found all over the world wherever wheat, barley and other cereals are kept. Because its young grow up hidden inside the kernels, it can do a lot of damage…
Goliath beetles are some of the biggest and heaviest insects on Earth. These giant flower beetles live in the forests of tropical Africa, and they are named after Goliath, the giant in the Bible story of David and Goliath. Their young, which are fat white grubs, can be even heavier than the adults. Goliath beetle…
Flour beetles are tiny reddish-brown beetles that live in stored food such as flour, cereal and pasta. They belong to the genus Tribolium, part of the huge darkling beetle family, and they are among the most common pantry pests in the world. Flour beetle Quick Facts Common name Flour beetle Scientific name Tribolium Kingdom Animalia…
Flea beetles are tiny, shiny beetles that jump like fleas when you disturb them. They are a common garden pest, chewing lots of small round holes in the leaves of vegetables and flowers, especially young seedlings. Flea beetles Quick Facts Common name Flea beetles Type Insect (leaf beetle) Diet Leaves of plants; larvae eat roots…
Flesh-eating beetles are scavengers that feed on dead animals, especially dry skin, flesh and hair. The best known is the hide beetle (Dermestes maculatus), a small beetle that museums use to clean skeletons. Hide beetle Quick Facts Common name Hide beetle Scientific name Dermestes maculatus Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Coleoptera Family Dermestidae…
Fireflies, also called lightning bugs, are beetles that can make their own light. On warm summer evenings, they flash yellow-green signals across fields and forests to find a mate. One of the best-known groups in North America is the genus Photinus. Firefly (lightning bug) Quick Facts Common name Firefly (lightning bug) Scientific name Lampyridae Kingdom…
The elephant beetle (Megasoma elephas) is one of the biggest beetles in the world. It is a kind of rhinoceros beetle that lives in the rainforests of Mexico, Central America and northern South America, and the males carry a huge curved horn on their heads. Elephant beetle Quick Facts Common name Elephant beetle Scientific name…
Dung beetles are beetles that eat animal poop, or dung. That might sound gross, but they are some of the most useful insects on Earth, cleaning up waste, feeding the soil and helping plants grow. Dung beetle Quick Facts Common name Dung beetle Type Insect (beetle) Diet Dung (animal poop); some eat rotting fruit, fungi…
Darkling beetles are a huge family of beetles found almost everywhere on Earth, from deserts to forests to kitchen cupboards. They belong to the family Tenebrionidae, which has around 20,000 known species. The best-known darkling beetle is the mealworm beetle, whose larvae, mealworms, are sold as food for pets. Darkling beetle Quick Facts Common name…
Dermestid beetles are small beetles whose larvae eat dried animal materials such as skin, fur, feathers and dried meat. They belong to the family Dermestidae, and they are also called skin beetles. Some are household pests, while others are so good at cleaning bones that museums keep them to prepare skeletons. Dermestid beetle Quick Facts…
Cucumber beetles are small, brightly colored leaf beetles that feed on cucumber, squash, melon and pumpkin plants. Gardeners and farmers know them well, because both the adults and their larvae can damage crops. They belong to two related groups (genera) of leaf beetles, Acalymma and Diabrotica, in the family Chrysomelidae. Cucumber beetles Quick Facts Common…
Carpet beetles are tiny, round beetles that sometimes sneak into homes, where their larvae chew on wool, fur, feathers and other animal materials. They belong to the family Dermestidae, along with their relatives the larder beetles and hide beetles. Carpet beetles Quick Facts Common name Carpet beetles Scientific name Dermestidae Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class…