Ladybirds are probably our most familiar beetles – and also some of the most popular. They’re known as the gardener’s friend, as many hunt the aphids that occasionally feed on our prized plants. Take a closer look in this blog!
This is Talk on the Wild Side. I'm Rob Smith, and in this episode, bugs matter. And bugs really do matter. Don't just take my word for it. As Sir David Attenborough no less puts it, if we and the rest of the backboned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the world's ecosystems would collapse.
Trying to identify a beetle in Kent? Learn about some of the most common types in our handy species explorer.
This large, brown beetle can be seen swarming around streetlights in spring. They live underground as larvae for years and emerge as adults often in large numbers. Listen for their characteristic buzzing sound.
A ferocious and fast predator, the Devil's coach horse beetle hunts invertebrates after dark in gardens and on grasslands. It is well-known for curling up its abdomen like the tail of a scorpion when defending itself.
Dung beetles are an often overlooked but hugely important ecosystem engineer. Learn more about them and why we need them in our landscape.
