Insects are far from the most tenacious creatures in the world. The lifespan of house flies is a maximum of 30 days. During this short time, they manage to lay several hundred eggs, and their population is preserved only due to this. Blood-sucking female mosquitoes can live up to two months, but males live only about two weeks. The short life of insects is due to the fact that the main purpose of their existence is reproduction. They also constantly face dangers: at any moment they can be eaten by birds or swatted by a person. However, there are beetles in the world whose lifespan reaches 50 years.
The pearl beetle can live up to 50 years. Photo source: wikimedia.org
The most beautiful insects in the world
According to the scientific publication IFL Science, the longest-living beetles were found during a study of the insect collection of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Could you imagine that there are beetles in the world that can live up to 50 years? Unfortunately, in the modern world and especially in ancient times, not all people managed to reach such an age.
Long-lived insects are pearl beetles (Buprestis aurulenta). They spend most of their lives as larvae, hiding inside wood. For decades, the larvae feed on dead wood, and only then do they turn into adults. Full-fledged beetles are very beautiful: they have a green-yellow, shiny body surface.
A beautiful pearl beetle. Photo source: nacekomie.ru
But people who work with wood don't like pearl beetles. The fact is that they are pests that slowly but surely destroy the structure of the material. It is very difficult to guess that a tree is infected with parasites – there are no holes on it. You can only suspect their presence by a quiet crunch somewhere inside the wood.
Wood-eating insects were especially problematic during the times when people actively used floating wooden ships. Until the 20th century, the only way to get from one distant country to another was by ship, and even one plank infected with parasites could cause a terrible catastrophe with hundreds of victims. So the reputation of pearl beetles is very bad.
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Parasites that destroy trees
Scientists believe that pearl beetles remain in the larval stage for 50 years because they feed on dead wood. It is not very nutritious, which is why it takes so long for the larvae to develop. But then they turn into adults and come out to lay their eggs in other trees.
Usually people build wooden structures and for many years do not even suspect that the material is infested. This becomes known only after the beautiful but harmful bugs appear. Sometimes wood becomes infested after new extensions are added to the structure. Or this happens if a person repairs a structure using infested wood.
If a tree has a beetle like this, it has been infested for decades. Photo source: iflscience.com
The researchers also suggest that some individuals of the same brood may develop at different rates. This occurs under the same environmental conditions, so the researchers cannot yet explain such a difference in the rate of maturation of the larvae. To unravel this mystery, it will take time – scientists will have to monitor the insects or even conduct an experiment lasting several decades.
Goliaths: the largest and strongest beetles the size of an avocado
The longest-living insects in the world
In fairness, it should be noted that there are other long-lived insects. An example is the queen of termites. At first, she lays 20 eggs a day. But then she grows to 11 centimeters in length and gives life to up to 4 thousand offspring a day. Termites have very large houses, and to maintain all this economy, many workers are needed, and the queen is engaged in the production of them. If nothing threatens the termite mound, the queen can also live 50 years or even more.
Termite queen. Photo source: fishki.net
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Among other long-lived insects, it is worth highlighting ant queens (15 years), longhorn beetles (3-5 years), cicadas (17 years), and so on. In 2024, the United States is expected to see the largest cicada invasion in the last two centuries. These creatures are among the loudest animals in the world – they make noise up to 107 decibels.