Can You Give Me Some Information About Beetles?

There are beetles of every shape, colour and size that you can imagine. But, round or thin, red or purple, big or little, they all have the same basic body structure. Like all insects, they have a head, a thorax and an abdomen with six legs. Their bodies are covered by a suit of armour called an exoskeleton. This protects them from predators.

Beetles do a very important job. Many types of beetle clear up the waste left by other animals and plants. They lay their eggs into the dead bodies of animals. As the larvae hatch, they feed on the decaying material. This helps to recycle raw materials and energy.

Some beetles are not so useful. Wood boring beetles cause millions of pounds of damage of forests every year. They also carry disease. The elm bark beetle carries the fungus that causes Dutch elm disease, a deadly tree disease that has nearly wiped out all the elm trees in Britain. Deathwatch beetles and wood worm do damage to our homes and the Colorado potato beetle wrecks potato crops.