Beetle bronzovka - flying miracle

Beetle-bronzovka is an insect belonging to the order of coleoptera, a family of lamelliformes, a subfamily of beetles. His body is oval-oblate, far from grace. Head small, slightly down.

Beetle-bronzovka is amazing in flight in sunny weather. He shines all over, poured like a precious stone. The insect flares up like a fire, it becomes fiery red like a red-hot metal. And in cloudy weather its coloring is rather dim. But as soon as the sun comes out and it takes off, it again becomes unusual. Its amazing overflow and brightness are associated with the refraction of sunlight on the insect's back. In principle, optical coloration is not characteristic of beetles - it is inherent in butterflies and dragonflies.

Most often an insect can be seen on the flowers, as seen in the photo. Beetle-bronzovka is not from shy ones, it's not in a hurry to fly away, so it's possible to examine it well. If you need to fly, he can do it instantly. One beetle is required before the flight to raise the elytra, the other - to spread the lower wings. The bronze beetle does not need preparation for the flight, since it has special incisions on the sides of the elytra, into which it inserts its lower wings and soars, without lifting the upper wings. This structure allows him to quickly overcome certain distances, because hard wings are not set and do not make it difficult to fly.

Most bronzovki, and there are about 4000 species, live in the tropics. In our country they live about a few dozen species. The most common is the golden bronze beetle . He is quite large, his body is almost 2 cm long. The elytra is emerald-metallic in color. Sowing on a flower, it can stay on it for up to two weeks if it is not disturbed

Beetle-bronzovka feeds on juicy and rotten fruits, petals of flowers and juices flowing from plants. Eggs postpone for the second year of life in the adult stage (adult insect), usually in July. About a month later, larvae appear from the eggs, which immediately begin to feed.

The larvae are large, thick, whitish, slightly puffy, similar in form to the letter C. They have no claws on their legs, they can move on their backs. They live, feed and develop in the forest litter, compost, rotten wood, etc. They are very gluttonous, they reach half the final size in a month, eating hundreds of times their weight. With their strong jaws, they chew on plant remains, turning them into an excellent black soil.

After a certain time, the larvae are going to pupate. In the construction of the cocoon, small legs play a large role, which are practically not used for movement. Cocoons are erected from feces, which the larva accumulates in advance. By isolating the sticky substance that solidifies with time, the larva with its rounded back creates a cocoon. Inside, it seems polished and very durable.

The matured bronzed beetle does not hurry to leave its shelter - it waits until the chitin cover gets stronger. This can take a lot of time. Only after that it is selected on the surface of the earth.

This family includes not only brightly colored insects. There are among them dark, chocolate, striped, with specks, etc. Practical harm beetle-bronzovka brings a little, and the joy of his contemplation is many.