The lives of beetles are divided into four different stages.

The first stage is the egg. The larval stage begins after the egg hatches. The larvae of some beetles look like worms with large heads. Some beetle larvae have no legs; others are covered with tufts or rows of long bristles. They shed their skins, or molt, several times as they grow.

Some beetles remain in the larval stage, eating and growing, for three or four years or even longer. At last the larvae shed their skins and enter a resting stage of their lives. At this stage, which varies in length, they are called pupae. Next the skins of the pupae split, and the winged adult beetles appear.

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This page was last updated on June 19, 2018.