Illustrated by: Dr. Biology
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Life cycle: the sequence of all stages through which an organism passes - going from egg to adult.
Offspring: babies, kids.
Reproduce: to make more individuals of your species... more
How Beetles Reproduce
The yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor)
Every living species is somehow involved in reproducing and making offspring. Most of us are familiar with how humans and mammals make babies, but do all creatures reproduce in the same way?
Do insects, like the beetle, give birth to little insects? To answer this question, we are going to examine the reproductive process of the mealworm beetle.
Have you ever seen this beetle? They are commonly sold as pet food and bait. Still don't recognize it? That's because the "beetle" isn't what is sold, it's the "mealworm."
To explain this, we need to follow the life of a beetle. Before a beetle is born, its parents have to mate, then its mother lays an egg. After a while, the egg hatches and the baby goes through many stages in its life cycle before it becomes an adult and is capable of making offspring of its own.
View Citation
Bibliographic details:
- Article: How Do Beetles Reproduce?
- Author(s): Jenny Drnevich
- Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
- Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
- Date published: July 2, 2009
- Date accessed: November 13, 2024
- Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/how-do-beetles-reproduce
APA Style
Jenny Drnevich. (2009, July 02). How Do Beetles Reproduce?. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved November 13, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/how-do-beetles-reproduce
Chicago Manual of Style
Jenny Drnevich. "How Do Beetles Reproduce?". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 02 July, 2009. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/how-do-beetles-reproduce
Jenny Drnevich. "How Do Beetles Reproduce?". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 02 Jul 2009. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 13 Nov 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/how-do-beetles-reproduce
MLA 2017 Style
The little mealworms you might find in your cereal or flour grow up to become beetles called Tenebrio molitor.
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