What beetle looks like a lighting bug?
Soldier beetles are very common insects that resemble lightning bugs but do not have light-producing organs. Many cultures throughout time have seen beetles as symbols of good luck and protection from evil. When a beetle lands on you, they offer protection from bad energy and invite fortune into your life. It could be a sign of inner peace and compassion. Beetles wear their hard shells to protect the softness inside.Habitats of beetles on land are numerous. Many are on the ground or under material on the ground. Different kinds can be found on vegetation, in rotting wood or plants, in carrion, fungi, and dung.Apparently the most widely held superstition about beetles is that if one walks over your shoe, it is an omen of death. Another tradition says that the appearance of beetles will bring on a terrible storm.Beetles are constantly on the lookout for something to eat, and your home provides plenty of options. Stored food, pantry items, and even pet food can attract certain beetle species, like drugstore beetles or carpet beetles. If you have an open bag of flour, cereal, or dry pet food, it could be an easy target.
What good do beetles do?
Beetles are important to humans and our environment! Some beetles are insectivores or pollinators – these beetles help plants & farmers. Insectivore beetles, like the ladybug, eat pests that feed on our crops! Soldier beetles are great pollinators and spread pollen from flower to flower. Beetles rely on their sense of smell for feeding and finding a place to lay their eggs. Scents associated with beetle pollination are often spicy (Crab apples), sweet (Chimonananthus), or fermented (Calycanthus).Many cultures throughout time have seen beetles as symbols of good luck and protection from evil. When a beetle lands on you, they offer protection from bad energy and invite fortune into your life. It could be a sign of inner peace and compassion. Beetles wear their hard shells to protect the softness inside.Beetles eat almost everything: plants, other insects, carcasses, pollen, and dung. Some beetles living in water eat small fish and tadpoles; Phosphuga atrata eats snails. Most beetles have a very good sense of smell to help them find food.Leaving your trash bins open What most people find disgusting, beetles tend to find appealing. Garbage – especially rotten fruit and vegetables – can be a magnet for a variety of different types of beetles. In fact, there are few things that attract beetles more than garbage.Most beetles are herbivores, eating only plants. This includes roots, stems, leaves, seeds, nectar, fruits or even the wood of the plant itself. This subcategory includes weevils, leaf beetles and some species of Longhorned beetles.