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On the plains of the African continent, where many herbivores live, including many large mammals, there is always food for beetles. The same elephant eats about two hundred and fifty kilograms of food a day, and after a while returns it back in the form of huge dung heaps. We can say that Africa (and other places on our planet) has not yet become bogged down in a huge layer of dung only thanks to the huge number of dung beetles, among which the sacred Egyptian scarab beetle occupies a special place.
Appearance
There are about 100 varieties in total. Egyptian scarab beetles have a black carapace and range from 1 to 4 cm in length. The body has a wide and oval shape, covered with chitin (a durable covering). Young individuals have a matte color, old and worn ones have a shiny color.
The abdomen and legs are covered with dark brown hairs and fluff. Males are distinguished by a bright red fringe with a golden tint, located on the inside of the hind legs. On the head of the scarab beetle, a transverse shape is located with a clypeus with teeth. The front legs are also equipped with teeth.
What does it eat?
The Egyptians believed that there were scarabs that eat people, they crawl under the skin through the ears, nose and eat a person from the inside.
Interesting!
Science has proven that the carnivorous species of beetles does not exist; the studied species are absolutely safe for people and animals.
Their diet consists of manure, which is what earned them universal love back in ancient times. Dung beetles are capable of processing large amounts of manure within a short time, which remains when keeping domestic animals. Scarabs can also be considered orderlies in the wild. It would take four thousand scarabs just an hour to clear an average pile of dung.
In the middle zone, beetles begin their active life as soon as the air warms up. They purify themselves only during the day until mid-summer, and then switch to a nocturnal lifestyle. For normal existence for 10-14 days, the scarab needs one ball of dung, five times the size of the insect itself. The beetle rolls it into a pre-dug hole near its home and digs it in. This is how a young beetle acts; at a more mature age, the male and female prepare larger amounts of manure for future use. It is with the help of waste of this type that procreation in these insects is possible.
Scarab beetle
In order to prepare food for itself, the scarab rolls a ball of dung, and it does it quite funny:
- the basis is most often a small round piece of feces;
- with the edge of its head, the insect seems to cut off small pieces of manure;
- presses the torn piece into the ball with its front and hind paws;
- the middle pair of paws holds the lump tightly, not letting go until the formation process is completed.
The beetle rolls the finished ball into a safe shelter in a shaded place. On the way, he is very careful, because smaller beetles in larger numbers can take away the prey without any problems. And relatives of the same build will not disdain ready-made food.
Interesting!
Manure not only helps scarabs live, the appearance of offspring also depends on it. The female and male stock up on a sufficient amount of manure, lay it out in their burrows, and then the female lays eggs in specially fashioned capsules. Until the pupal state, they feed on the dung that their parents stored for them.
Nutrition
The main diet is excrement of cattle and horses. He loves horseback the most. He willingly rolls it into balls of different sizes, then buries it in the ground for later use as food.
The scarab beetle feeds on a dung ball until it completely eats it, all this time it lives in the place where it was buried. These balls are created only from fresh manure before it dries out. The beetle can also eat decomposed organic products. Rotten leaves, flowers and grass.
What is the lifestyle of a beetle?
The sandy soil nurse appears in mid-spring. Until the air warms up completely, the beetle is active only during the day. In summer, the insect stays in shelter until the evening, and at night it crawls out in search of food and stockpiling.
This video will help you learn more about sacred beetles:
When forming balls, the beetle must not be distracted. Otherwise, the insect will lose its supplies and will have to start working again. Smaller dung beetles live in balls of manure. The supply will be useless if too many living organisms settle inside. It takes 2-3 weeks to form a shelter that acts as a storage facility.
Reproduction
Before mating, a couple of the opposite sex begins to prepare food for future use, for the offspring. First, Egyptian scarab beetles dig deep holes (from 10 to 30 cm) with their paws. After digging, the male crawls away, but the female remains.
She sculpts oval shapes from the dung for each egg separately. Then she makes a hole in each dung ball and lays an egg there. After this, the entrance to the hole is covered.
Life cycle
The female and male, having met on a pile of dung, make a joint ball and then dig a hole, which ends in a nesting chamber. Mating takes place there, after which the male usually leaves the nest, and the female begins to produce 1-3 pear-shaped dung ovoids. Then she lays one egg in them. Fertilized females are capable of digging more than a dozen burrow nests during the active period.
The egg stage lasts 5-12 days, after which the larvae hatch. They feed on food stored by their parents and after about a month, having gone through 3 phases of development, they pupate. After 2 weeks, young beetles emerge from the pupae and remain inside the ovoids for a long time until autumn or spring rains soften the cocoon. In mid-latitudes, scarabs overwinter inside ovoids.
Enemies
Due to the fact that it is very noticeable and slow, it is an easy prey for birds and some mammals. It is hunted by crows and small mammals (moles, hedgehogs and others). Foxes eat them in large numbers.
But there is a more dangerous enemy. This is a tick that is capable of breaking through the protective chitinous layer in order to drink all its blood. It often happens that one scarab beetle is attacked by several mites at once.
Scarab and man
The ancient Egyptians revered the scarab beetle. Until now, he is considered a protector from bad energy, all sorts of troubles, and even mortal dangers. The walls of the house, figurines, amulets decorated with the image of a scarab beetle not only protect, but also bring good luck, success in work and any endeavors. Scarab figurines were used for various rituals and ceremonies, such as treating women for infertility, for example.
People especially value jewelry and a talisman in the form of a scarab beetle.
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Egyptian mythology, symbol, meaning
The scarab beetle is a symbol of Egypt. According to legend, it resembles the path of the Sun, and was born from the desert sands. In ancient times, the Egyptians associated it with the symbol of solar power, and with rebirth in the afterlife.
Even the mythological creator, the world and the man of God in ancient Egypt were depicted with the head of the Scarab Beetle. In Egypt, many sculptures, amulets and decorations in the form of a sacred beetle have been preserved. His images are found in tombs, sculptures and other historical structures.
Scarabs extract moisture from the fog. He stands against the wind and spreads his wings. After a certain time, moisture appears on the high parts of the scarab beetle's head, collecting in a drop. Then this drop flows directly into his mouth. During flight, the wings do not fully open, which violates all the laws of aerodynamics. Makes a masterly flight that even a bird would envy.
The scarab beetle amulet with its image has the ability to protect the owner from evil forces, negative circumstances, create harmony in energy, and give self-confidence.
Sandy soil nurses
The scarab beetle belongs to the class of insects, the order of Coleoptera of the lamellar family, one of the characteristics of which is a special form of antennae structure, which is characterized by a lamellar-shaped pin that can open in the form of a fan.
Currently, scientists have discovered more than a hundred representatives of this genus living in arid areas with sandy soils: deserts, semi-deserts, dry steppes, and savannas. Most are found only in tropical Africa: about twenty species live in the Palaearctic (the region that covers Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas, and North Africa to the southern border of the Sahara), while they are completely absent in the Western Hemisphere and Australia.
What are the benefits of dung beetles?
World civilization already has a not very pleasant experience associated with the lack of such assistants in manure processing. An instructive and quite interesting story took place in Australia, which at one time was occupied from all sides by European colonists. A huge number of livestock were brought to its territory, which before this period were impossible to meet on this land. The most widespread were sheep, whose wool was sent to England and received huge money for it at that time. The herds began to grow rapidly along with the income of their owners. But after some time, farmers began to notice that the sheep were no longer gaining enough weight, because their pastures had become scarce and not nutritious. The once blooming and lush meadows have turned into sparse dry bushes.
The best specialists were brought in to solve the problem. They found out that the reason was the accumulation of a large layer of sheep manure on the pastures, through which fresh grass simply had no chance of breaking through. Why did it happen? The insects of Australia did not consider it acceptable to process sheep excrement, and dung beetles have never been found on this land. And, as a result, there is an almost complete absence of vegetation in the pastures. This issue needed to be resolved.
Entomologists were invited as assistants, who had to find species of dung beetles that would gladly pounce on sheep manure and rid the pastures of a thick, impenetrable layer of excrement. For this task, several scientific expeditions were sent to Europe at once.
It should be noted that by this time the local residents had already been taught by the bitter experience of relocating animals unusual for their climate. Take, for example, American cacti or the same rabbits, which almost drove all Australians crazy. But dung beetles will not arrive alone either; various parasites (gamasid mites) can also arrive with them to a new place. It was them that scientists feared, because no one could predict how they might behave when they settled on local insects.
This time, entomologists provided for all possible scenarios, for which they needed to conduct many laboratory experiments. They approached this matter so carefully and responsibly that they organized a grandiose inspection in South Africa of over 50 species of dung beetles caught in Europe. In special laboratories, several generations of beetles were raised, constantly under close study and vigilant control.
And finally, scientists selected several species of dung beetles that were released into the wilds of the continent. As entomologists expected, the beetles coped with the task perfectly. Being among their favorite food, they began to multiply at an incredible rate, chasing the sheep on their heels. It was in this extraordinary way that a major economic problem in Australia was averted, as well as an environmental disaster and a national tragedy.
Scarab beetle bead weaving pattern
Many people try to make talismans and amulets with their own hands. To create a small figurine you will need about five hours of time. The bead weaving pattern includes several steps:
- We draw a sketch of the product and make a blank.
- If necessary, paint over the base of the product.
- On the dried sketch, make the necessary markings.
- Using a glue gun or instant glue, fix the cabochon or natural stone.
- We braid the stone with Japanese tag.
- We trim the contours with beads.
- We fill the inner area with beads as desired - densely or chaotically.
- After finishing, we cut out the product, leaving a margin of 1-2 millimeters on the pattern.
- We make a blank from thin cardboard - we trace the resulting product along the contour and cut it out.
- We combine the cardboard with beaded embroidery and attach it to a piece of leather, sewing the edges.
- You can later add a chain and lock or just carry it with you in your bag.
External signs of a dung beetle
The color of the dung beetle's shell can be different: green, completely black, blue-green, black-green, black-blue. Regardless of the primary color, they all have a metallic sheen that shimmers in the sunlight. As for the lower part of the body, it is always the same shade. Entomological scientists affectionately call it violet blue, comparing it with the color of the eyes of a fairy-tale queen. There are several scattered dots on the chest shield of these beetles. The elytra, each with 14 grooves, have black thin hairs. The outer part of the upper jaws appears rounded. The total body length of the dung beetle ranges from 16 to 27 mm.
