What Do Soldier Beetles Eat? Helpful Facts

If you spot a large bug in your garden, it is natural to question what it eats and whether it can be harmful to you. Below we explain what do soldier beetles eat and why they are particularly beneficial for you.

Soldier beetles are common garden dwellers that help in controlling insect populations and pollinating flowers.

They are important predators to maintain the balance in your garden’s ecosystem, mainly feeding on insect eggs, aphids, insect larvae, and snails.

They are harmless to humans and plants, though they do emit a chemical to deter predators.

What Are Soldier Beetles?

Also known as leatherwings, Soldier Beetles are common, soft-bodied beetles found throughout the world.

They can grow up to ½ inch in length and have long bodies with a head that are bent downwards.

Adult soldier beetles have a yellow or brownish color, followed by black spots on their wings.

They look similar to other lightning bugs, like fireflies and glowworm beetles but do not produce light like them. They belong to the family Cantharidae, with over 3500 species under it.

They have four life stages, beginning with the female soldier beetle laying eggs that hatch in around ten days.

This is followed by the larvae feeding for a couple of years before forming pupae within the topsoil. From the pupae emerges an adult beetle.

What Do They Eat?

Soldier Beetles are generally omnivorous and predatory. Their diet consists of other smaller insects in the garden, such as caterpillars, ground-dwelling, insect eggs, soft-bodied insects, and aphids.

However, as adults, they often wait in flowers for prey to come by and, during this time, suck on nectar without damaging the flower or plant.

As Larvae

Soldier beetle larvae, though rarely seen, are bright red in color. They are ground dwellers and feed on snails, grasshopper eggs, moths, root maggots, and larvae of other insects.

¾ inches long, they look like mini-alligators! Larvae are not identified as threats to plants and, in general, are important predators in the garden to control invasive insects.

As Adults

Apart from their larval diet, as adults, they also sometimes feed on nectar and pollen and thus help in propagating plants. They are beneficial insects in most gardens and are not considered invasive.

If they make their way into your home, you can vacuum them out. They are harmless and do not bite.

Despite some species of soldier beetles having aggressive local names like ‘bloodsucker’ – they do not have piercing mouth parts as adults – they have a chewing mouth.

What Eats Soldier Beetles?

Both adult beetles and larvae are food for quite a few other animals.

Bats, spiders, and many birds are known to feed on soldier beetles. Some rodents and smaller reptiles also prey on them.

How Can You Attract Them To Your Garden

A controlled population of soldier beetles in your garden can help keep smaller insects in control and help with pollen propagation.

A good time to bring them into your garden is during the late summer months. This is when most insects lay eggs, which soldier beetle larvae can then feast on.

An easy way to attract them is to plant flowers they like. This includes goldenrod, catnip, hydrangeas, milkweed, yarrow, linden, and colorful flowers such as marigolds.

Adult beetles typically mate within flowers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap Up

You might rarely see the very small, velvety red larvae of soldier beetles in your garden.

However, know that they play an important role in keeping your plants healthy and well. Their predatory diet acts as well as any pesticide.

Thank you for reading. We hope you learned something new!