What Does A Lightning Bug Eat

What a beneficial beetle.

What does a lightning bug eat.

Some fireflies eat the nectar or pollen of flowers others eat smaller fireflies and some don t eat anything at all. They are soft bodied beetles that are commonly called fireflies glowworms or lightning bugs for their conspicuous use of bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates or prey. As they mature and turn into beetles they do one of several things depending on which species of firefly they are. They eat soft bodied insects that live on or in the ground like snails slugs worms or other larvae.

Placing copper strips or pennies in your hosta a favorite target of iowa s gray garden slugs hasn t been proven to prevent the slugs damage. Some fireflies eat other types of fireflies. Most firefly species inhabit moist terrestrial environments where they feed on snails or worms in the soil. A few asian species use gills to breathe underwater where they eat aquatic snails and other mollusks.

Although some adults of certain firefly species might still catch other bugs for dinner most adults actually feed on nectar and pollen. But lightning bugs in their larval stage prey on slugs. Some species are arboreal and their larvae hunt tree snails. Once they find their prey they inject them with a substance that immobilizes them.

Lightning bug larvae live on the ground under bark and in moist swampy places. They eat earthworms snails and slugs plus they may scavenge certain small dead animals and other organic material. They inject a digestive fluid onto their prey which immobilizes their prey. According to national geographic some species do not seem to eat at all once they reach the adult stage which makes some sense once you learn that their entire life span is about 2 months.

The second stage of the life cycle of a firefly is the larval stage to develop into a pupa the larvae generally eat small insects snails slugs earthworms dead animals and organic material that is available in their habitat. Lightning bug larvae eat snails slugs and worms. The larvae of most fireflies are predaceous beneficial insects that feed on snails slugs and worms. Once predators get a bite they associate the unpleasant taste with firefly light and avoid attacking the lightning bugs in the future.

Even better most species are predatory feeding on the larvae of insect pests as well as on slugs and snails. Fireflies produce a cold light with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. Attracting lightning bugs to your garden is definitely a good thing to do as unlike many other less desirable bugs these beneficial insects don t bite they aren t poisonous and they carry no diseases. This is where the lightning bugs come in.

The lampyridae are a family of insects in the beetle order coleoptera with more than 2 000 described species. Several species of adult lightning bugs attempt to lure other species of lightning bugs so they can eat them. Other adult species sustain themselves with plant nectar.