Click Beetle
Scientific Name: Aeolus mellillus (common example)
Order & Family: Order Coleoptera; Family Elateridae
Size: Typically 2 mm to 30 mm in length, depending on the species.
Natural Habitat
Found worldwide in diverse environments including forests, grasslands, and agricultural fields; often enter homes attracted to lights.
Diet & Feeding
Adults often feed on nectar, pollen, or soft plant tissues; larvae (known as wireworms) typically live in the soil and feed on roots and seeds.
Behavior Patterns
Known for a unique clicking mechanism that allows them to snap their body and jump several inches into the air to escape predators or flip over if they end up on their backs.
Risks & Benefits
Adults are generally harmless to humans but larvae can be significant agricultural pests by damaging the root systems of crops; ecologically, they serve as a food source for many birds and small mammals.
Identified on: 5/17/2026