Why do click beetles light up

Listen to a recording of click beetle sounds. If you should come into contact with a click beetle, it will use its defense mechanism, but the experience will simply feel like a soft flick against the skin. In homes, the pests are a nuisance due to their presence alone. However, click beetle larvae can become serious pests in gardens or crop fields.

Homeowners usually recognize a problem with click beetles when they find the adult beetles inside their house around lights or sources of moisture.

Click beetles are most likely identified and noticed by the action and sound that give them their common name. Characteristics: There are more than species of click beetles found in North America, so appearances are diverse.

Click beetle larvae live in the soil and usually prey on small, soil dwelling insects, plant roots, and seeds. In fact, some species of click beetle larvae become agricultural pests that damage plants and crops.

Adult click beetle food sources are:. As nocturnal flying insects, click beetles navigate toward light. During the day, they seek refuge in dark locations such as under leaves or inside cracks and holes. Here, Fallon, Lower et al. This required using cutting-edge DNA sequencing to carefully piece together the genomes of two species of fireflies Photinus pyralis and Aquatica lateralis and one species of click beetle Ignelater luminosus. The genetic analysis revealed that, in all species, the genes for luciferases were very similar to the genetic sequences around them, which code for proteins that break down fat.

This indicates that the ancestral luciferase arose from one of these metabolic genes getting duplicated, and then one of the copies evolving a new role.

However, the genes for luciferase were very different between the fireflies and the click beetles. Further analyses suggested that bioluminescence evolved at least twice: once in an ancestor of fireflies, and once in the ancestor of the bioluminescent click beetles.

By contrast, adult click beetles only feed on nectar, pollen, flowers, and soft-bodied pest insects like aphids. Adult click beetles are attracted to light, but usually only invade buildings near the fields where they live, seeking shelter or looking for prey, rather than breeding or feeding. They tend to enter your home through holes in doors or window screens, or gaps around windows, doors, eaves, and chimneys. In yards and gardens, click beetle larvae can harm fruits, vegetables, decorative plant bulbs, or lawn turf by drilling into tubers or eating away roots.

Given that click beetles can remain in the larvae stage for up to six years before developing into adults, they can cause significant damage year after year if not eradicated.

Adult click beetles are more of a nuisance. They do not bite, but their loud clicking sound and sudden flips can be startling. If you decide to try one of the pesticides on the market to eradicate click beetles, make sure to choose one registered and labelled for that purpose, and follow the directions carefully. For a truly safe solution to your click beetle problem, you need a professional pest control service.

Resolving your pest problem is our 1 priority. If re-treatment is required, we'll provide immediate services at no extra cost. If your expectations are not met, we guarantee a full refund of your service payment. We work hard to listen, understand and assess your unique situation.

Request a free, no-obligation estimate today for a customized pest program that fits your needs. Residential Commercial. Click Beetles. Identification Colour Black, brown, or grey Size From 2mm to 45mm long Description Some click beetles have dark, round marks on their backs to mimic the eyes of larger animals. Their larvae are tan, white, and brown, and are known as wireworms, due to their slender, segmented, and shiny appearance.

Notes Their most recognizable feature is the click sound they make when grabbed or flipped upside down. How to identify Click Beetles Adult click beetles are black, brown, or grey and about 12 to 40 mm long. Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species. Critter Catalog. Information Pictures Classification. Additional information: Find click beetles information at Encyclopedia of Life.

Other Physical Features ectothermic bilateral symmetry Sexual Dimorphism sexes alike female larger Range length Biogeographic Regions nearctic native palearctic native oriental native ethiopian native neotropical native australian native oceanic islands native What kind of habitat do they need?

These animals are found in the following types of habitat temperate tropical terrestrial Terrestrial Biomes taiga desert or dune chaparral forest rainforest scrub forest mountains Wetlands marsh How do they grow?

Development - Life Cycle metamorphosis How long do they live? How do they behave? Key Behaviors diurnal nocturnal crepuscular motile sedentary solitary How do they communicate with each other? What do they eat? Primary Diet carnivore eats non-insect arthropods herbivore What eats them and how do they avoid being eaten?

Known Predators moles shrews insect-eating birds bats toads lizards spiders ground beetles mantids Do they cause problems? Ways that these animals might be a problem for humans crop pest How do they interact with us?