When asked to name your favorite pollinators, most gardeners will quickly rattle off a list that includes honey bees, mason bees,  bumbles, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Only one in a hundred will include beetles. In fact most would villify them as major pests. In a gardenFORlife system, however, we understand the interconnectedness of all species and recognize beetles for the vital roles they play. 

Beetles not only represent the greatest diversity of pollinators, they also carry the honor of being the oldest pollinators on the planet. True beetles were already on the planet during the supercontinent Pangaea 230 million years ago and archealogical studies have found fossilized beetles in amber covered in water lily pollen dating back 100-150 million years. This pre-dates bees by about 30-80 million years! 

Flowers that are pollinated by beetles are referred to as cantharophilous, from the Greek kántharos (beetle) and philos (loving). These flowers are typically basal angiosperms, characterized by their large, simple, bowl shape, white or dull green color, with multiple stamens and pistils. Most produce a strong, fruity or musky scent that can attract the beetles up to a mile away. Magnolias, laurels, tulip poplars, anise, and pawpaw are examples of cantharophilous flowers common to South Carolina.

Others cantharophilous flowers include our state wildflower, Goldenrod, as well as lantana, milkweed, zinnias, old world roses, coreopsis, sunflowers, and gingers. Although not specific to beetles, they pollinate at much better rates with their help. 

The reason beetles get such a bad reputation is because of their method of pollination. Unlike bees and butterflies that gently approach flowers to sip the nectar and cover their bodies in pollen, leaving little trace of their visit, beetles are often the bulls in the china shop. Following the strong scent of the flowers emitted even before it fully opens, beetles often chew through the petals to get to the pollen inside. Once inside, they consume the pollen and defecate into the center of the flower, then roll around in the mix, coating their bodies in rich deposits of both pollen and waste. Scientists theorize that because beetles lack the fuzziness of bees and flies, the mixture of waste and pollen helps it adhere better to their bodies so it can be more easily transported to other flowers. The mixture also serves to coat the beetle in the scent of the flowers they pollinate, further protecting them from predation. 

Unfortunately, this method also serves to damage the flower petals which is why most gardeners erroneously assume the beetles are the bad guys. They're really not, They're just very, very messy eaters. 

Although there are 30,000 species of beetles in North America, we typically don't notice them until summer when the largest species emerge en masse to munch on your precious fruit, flowers and leaves. Often called June bugs, the large 'pest' beetles such as the Figeater beetle seen here on its namesake, the grapevine beetle found on our window screens or the Margined shining leaf chaffers skeltonizing rose leaves are not considered major pollinators, although they can accidentally pollinate larger flowers while they are passing through. 

The most common beetle pollinators are much smaller and often confused for other true bugs, bees, or wasps.

Soldier beetles pollinate sunflowers, goldenrod, and other showy flowers. 

Jewel beetles, like these on display at the Natural History Museum in Paris, are aptly named for their shiny, metallic, often irridescent elytra. They can be found on many asters, zinnias and other native South Carolina wildlflowers as well as hardwoods. These beetles often have bullet shaped bodies and rounded heads. Some of the most collected beetles we have in South Carolina are in this family, including the pesky ash borer, click beetles, and eyed beetles. 

Blister beetles like the one at the top of this article captured by Sue Watts of SCBG, closely resemble large ants or wasps, having long bodies and ant-shaped heads. Many are brightly colored depending on the flowers they frequent. These are very common summer pollinators and can be frequently found on the same flower as bees. Studies have found that one species of blister beetle actually lays its eggs inside the host flower so that the hatched larva can hitch a ride home on a visiting bee. Once back in the hive, the larva detaches to feed on the stored pollen inside the baby bee chamber. 

At less than 1/4', the tiniest beetles are the Tumbling Flower beetles, so named becuase of their habit of tumbling off the flower head whenever they are disturbed. You can find these on many of our common herbs like parsley and dill, as well as flowers like Queen Anne's lace, dandelion, cat's ear, and spirea.