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Size: Up to 30mms long
Distribution: Found in many parts of the UK.
Months seen: April to August
Diet: Vegetation
Habitat: Meadows and fields
Features:
The female oil beetle lays thousands of eggs into holes in the ground, and these hatch into larvae which sit around on flowers waiting to jump on board a passing bee. They then get a lift back to the bees nest where they feed on the bee larvae.
When alarmed, the adult oil beetles can release a foul smelling oil - hence the name.
