Oil beetle
30 August 2010
This is one of nine native oil beetle species, though five are now extinct in the UK. They secrete an oily substance which often gives them a greasy appearance and, coupled with their short wing cases and generally large size (up to 30mm), they are often noticed.
Oil beetle © Roger Key
Latin name: Meloe proscarabaeus
Population numbers:
Like all oil beetles this has greatly declined and is now found mostly in SW England coastal areas.
Where to see and when:
Oil beetles are sometimes seen trundling along coastal pathways in areas where their solitary bee hosts come to flowers, the strange beetle larvae waiting there to grab onto their hosts and be transported back to the nests where they feast on pollen and grubs in the period from March to June.
What’s being done:
A new project is being launched to understand and conserve this group, and will involve public participation on coastal footpaths to record their distribution.
More information:
