08/20/2026
The answer to this week’s is...... Eastern eyed click beetle, Alaus oculatus!
This large eye-catching insect ranges from the east to the Midwest of the United States. These beetles can grow up to 1.8 inches in length, making them the largest click beetle in Iowa.
After mating in spring, the female beetle will lay her eggs in a decomposing log. While the adults feed on nectar and plant material, their larvae are predatory. Often called “wireworms” the beetle larvae will seek out grubs and wood boring beetles to feed on.
After a few years, the beetle larvae will pupate in the log they spent their youth hunting and growing inside. Once metamorphosis is complete, the adult beetles will emerge in early spring, breeding and feeding until late September.
Click beetles get their name from a nifty trick they employ when faced with a predator. If overturned, they can spring themselves into the air, startling the predator and giving themselves a chance to escape. These beetles’ acrobatic ability comes from its thoracic hinge mechanism, located on the back of their carapace between the thorax and abdomen. This mechanism works like flipping a coin. Potential energy is stored when the click beetle arches its back, setting a small pin into groove on its back. Once the pin is set, all the click beetle needs to do is flex forward, releasing the pin from its groove along with all that stored energy. As the pin releases, a clicking sound is made—hence the name “click beetle”--and the beetle is sent summersaulting into the air, just like a coin!
