Of all the insect orders, beetles – coleoptra, or sheath-wing, for you bug enthusiasts – are the most numerous. Some 40 percent of insects are beetles, and of all life-forms, 25 percent are beetles. Many beetle species are helpful, and they eat other pests, like aphids and mosquitoes. However, beetles that bore and eat their way through wood, in their larval stage, can cause a lot of property damage. Beetles also can be major pests that attack stored food products, especially in their larval form. The beetle’s life cycle follows a complete metamorphosis – eggs, larva (which cause the most damage), pupa, adult.

[Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Coleoptera]

Please click on one of the following types of beetles for more information.