Beetles (Order: Coleoptera)

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No crops grown in Ontario rely on beetle pollination. In other parts of the world, there are major crops that rely on beetle pollinators (e.g., oil palm). Beetles will feed on floral tissue, and can damage the flowers and developing fruit. Some groups of beetles, such as the flower scarabs and members of families Melyridae and Mordellidae, are commonly found on flowers. Some soldier beetles (family Cantharidae) feed extensively on pollen and move between many different flowers during their adult lives.

 

A soldier beetle (photo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos)

 

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