Beetles are common in the garden and in forested areas.
The larva is the middle stage of a beetle's life cycle. Beetles begin their lives as eggs. When they hatch, they look different from the oval-shaped adult beetles. A beetle larva looks quite similar to a worm. In the larval state, a beetle is fairly soft and slow-moving, and it must rely on camouflage and good hiding places for protection. Nonetheless, many animals find and eat beetle larvae. Does this Spark an idea?
Birds Eat Beetle Larvae
Woodpeckers eat larvae in tree bark.
Bird species vary from place to place, but wherever you live, ground-feeding birds will eat beetle larvae if they are easily available near the surface of the ground. Woodpecker species also eat wood-boring beetle larvae. Woodpeckers bore into wood with their beaks and eat the animals that they find inside. Their holes help the tree rot, which makes an even better environment for invertebrates to live.
Omnivorous Mammals Eat Beetle Larvae
Bears hunt for a variety of small animals.
While many people think about large mammals as predators, many omnivorous mammals like bears and raccoons do not regularly hunt large prey. Bears and raccoons prefer to eat grubs in logs. Small animals such as mice, shrews and moles share the forest floor with beetles and will eat beetle larvae. These animals nest in tunnels or under trees, and small, soft beetle larvae are a convenient source of protein.
Other Invertebrates Eat Beetle Larvae
Invertebrates will prey on smaller or more vulnerable invertebrates.
Other invertebrates, or animals without backbones, will also eat beetle larvae. There is an entire group of animals that live in the soil, and these animals are part of the largest group of animals in the world, the invertebrates. Within their own group, invertebrates have predator-prey relationships. Ichneumonid wasps will actually drill into a beetle larva to insert their young inside, and the young will eat the beetle larva from the inside out. Diving beetle larvae will also eat their brothers and sisters.
Fish Eat Beetle Larvae
Fish are connected to forests in part because they eat insect larvae.
Some beetles live in ponds or the slow-moving parts of larger rivers. These water beetles can move quickly around their environment to hide and escape from predators. However, when they are larvae, they are unable to move quite as quickly, and they are easy prey for fish and other aquatic animals. Fish also eat larvae that live in trees, since these larvae may move onto bark or leaves that fall into a pond or river.
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