Mary Allen
Beetles are insects. Beetles live all over the world, just not in the sea or at the North Pole and the South Pole. Over 20,000 species are known in Europe.
Each beetle has six legs. The feelers of beetles are called “antennas”. Beetles can vary in size and appearance. It depends on where they live: Some beetles live in trees. If they have to flee from an enemy, they simply drop down These beetles are rather round and their antennae are short.
The front wings of the beetle are very hard and protect the remaining wings like a hood. Therefore, beetles do not fly as fast as other insects. There are even beetles that cannot fly at all.
People divide the beetles into pests or beneficial insects. The bark beetle, for example, is one of the pests. He digs channels under the bark of trees. This causes the tree to dry out and die. The ladybug, on the other hand, is beneficial: it likes to eat lice and thus helps the gardeners.
How do bugs live?
Many beetles feed exclusively on plants. They eat flowers, seeds, stems, roots, and many other parts of plants. But there are also beetles that feed on other insects. Some even eat carrion. These are dead animals. They eat almost all of it. The droppings of the beetles are again humus and fertilizer for nature.
Beetles reproduce by eggs. How many there are depends heavily on the type of beetle. Larvae then hatch from the eggs. They molt several times as they grow. Eventually, they pupate. In the doll, the whole body is remodeled. Feelers, legs, and wings can usually be recognized on the pupa. Then the beetle hatches out of it. All this happens in our countries once a year.
Beetles have many enemies: most birds eat beetles, at least occasionally. But beetles are also a treat for mammals such as hedgehogs, mice, moles, or bats. Fish, amphibians, and reptiles also like to eat beetles. And last but not least, there are bugs that eat other bugs.