Beetles

Lauren experiments with a Bess beetle.

Samantha experiments with a Bess beetle.

The dung beetle and the stink bug.

The Desert Botanical Gardens' class on beetles was fascinating! These bugs have chewing mouth parts, called mandibles. Beetles have two hardened elytra that cover their bodies. The elytra come together down the middle of their backs and make a nice clean seam. They line up nicely, while true bugs like the assassin bugs and milkweed bugs have wings that overlap.