Sun Beetle

Attractively patterned in gold and brown, the sun beetle hails from tropical Africa, where it is usually found amongst the leaf litter of the forest floor. One of the easiest beetle species to keep and breed, both the adults and the larvae can be fed on a wide range of fruit and fruit substitutes, and as long as there is enough substrate to burrow in they are happy.

The adults grow to around 3cm in length, and are quite accomplished flyers; their sense of direction isn’t great, and they tend to fly into walls. They do like an enclosure with some height, and unlike many insects appear to relish being provided with UV light. A low strength compact UV bulb suspended over the enclosure will ensure that you see your beetles more often, and the additional heat will stimulate their activity as well. The beetles do spend some time buried in the substrate, so don’t worry if you look into your enclosure and there are no beetles to be seen – they are still there!