Beetle Diet: What Do Beetles Eat? - Science ABC

Beetles are insects that have a head, thorax, and abdomen. They have tough and solid outer bodies and strong jaws that are well adapted to eat a variety of food. Many beetles have wings, or more specifically, modified wings. Beetles that eat plants and crops are called herbivores. Beetles that eat wood are called xylophages. Beetles that eat decaying matter are called scavengers. Some beetles eat the larvae of other beetles and insects. Some beetles eat aquatic creatures and amphibians.

Beetles are quintessential insects—they have a head, abdomen, thorax and multiple legs. Their outer bodies are tough and solid. Their jaws are strong and solid, with chewing mouthparts that are well adapted to eat a wide variety of food. Interestingly, many beetles have wings, or more specifically, modified wings. The first pair of wings serves primarily a protective purpose, as they are small, but quite hard. The second pair of wings allows some breed of beetle to fly. Many beetles catch our attraction with their brightly colored outer shells.

Beetles belong to an insect class called Coleoptera, which is a Greek word that means “sheath-wing”. Coleoptera happens to be the largest order of the class of insects. Many evolutionary scientists opine that a few thousand species of this order have yet to be identified. Presently, there are 400,000 known species of beetle already!

Because there are so many species of beetles, their diet can vary greatly. From decaying leftovers to aquatic creatures, they have manifested remarkable feeding abilities. Diving into that a bit deeper let’s take a look at typical food that different varieties of beetles eat.

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