Beetles might be the most successful creatures on earth! Their incredible ability to adapt to any environment makes sure that they will exist, probably long after humans have disappeared from earth.

Biology of Beetles

One of the most important features of the beetles that makes them distinctly beetles is their elytra, the hard exoskeletal covering over their wings. Elytra have many functions, but the most important is protection for the beetle. Some species are able to trap moisture on their wings and keep it because the elytra protects it from the heat and wind. This has allowed some species to travel to deserts, where moisture is scarce, because they can carry their own water with them. Other species can live under water because they are able to trap air in their wings and keep it under the elytra.

How did beetles get their names? The order name Coleoptera is pronounced "co-le-OP-ter-a." This name was first used by Aristotle in the fourth century B.C., more than 5,000 years ago! It comes from the Greek words "koleos," which means sheath (or shield), and "ptera," which means wings. The name refers to the fact that most beetles have hardened front wings, termed elytra, which cover the folded hind wings like a sheath. Insects in the order Coleoptera are commonly called beetles. The common name "beetle" comes from older English words for a "little biter". Larvae of some species are called grubs, wireworms, and rootworms. More about beetles: Coleoptera is the largest order in the entire animal kingdom.

There are more species of beetles than species of plants! There are about 350,000 named species of beetles in the world and many more unnamed species. In the United States and Canada, there are almost 24,000 species. That's about 30% of all insect species in North America. The families of beetles containing the most species in North America are the rove beetles (Staphylinidae, 3100 species), the weevils (Curculionidae, 2432 species), the ground beetles (Carabidae, 1700 species), the leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae, 1474 species), the scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae, 1375 species), the darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae, 1300 species), and the long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae, 1100 species).

Beetles can be found in many land and fresh-water habitats. In addition to being associated with all kinds of plants, they can be found in logs or under bark, in fungi, in mud, in decaying plant and animal matter, in water, in stored food, in bird and mammal nests, and in termite nests. Species in the genus Cremastocheilas (family Scarabaeidae) live in ant nests and feed on ant larvae. Many beetles live deep in the soil or in decaying leaf litter on the ground. Other beetles live under rocks or in caves. Mammal nest beetles (family Leptinidae) are external parasites of mammals, including beavers. These beetles live in the fur or the nests of their hosts. Some scarab beetles in the genus Trox live in bird and mammal nests, apparently feeding on the droppings of the animals or the remains of their food.

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HOW TO GET RID OF BEETLES