A shiny green and red rosemary beetle
Pete Richman

Beetles in Kent

Trying to identify a beetle in Kent? Learn about some of the most common types in our handy species explorer.

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Carrion Beetles

A black snail beetle on a rotten log
Black snail beetle © Brian Eversham

Black snail beetle

Species

This shiny beetle is common in wooded areas throughout the UK. As the name suggests, it specialises in hunting snails.

A red-breasted carrion beetle, with its distinctive red pronotum, standing on a folded over leaf
Red-breasted carrion beetle © Tom Hibbert

Red-breasted carrion beetle

Species

These distinctive beetles are often found around dead birds and small mammals.

Click Beetles

Coppery Click Beetle
Coppery Click Beetle ©Philip Precey

Coppery click beetle

Species

The Coppery click beetle is a large, coppery-purple beetle with straw-brown wing cases. It can be found on grassland and farmland, and its larvae are known to feed on roots and damage crops.

Violet click beetle
Violet click beetle © Udo Schmidt

Violet click beetle

Species

The violet click beetle is a very rare beetle that lives in decaying wood, particularly common beech and ash. It gets its name from its habit of springing upwards with an audible click if it falls on its back. It is found at just three sites in the UK.

Diving Beetles

Great Diving Beetle
Great Diving Beetle ©Jack Perks

Great diving beetle

Species

The Great diving beetle is a large and voracious predator of ponds and slow-moving waterways. Blackish-green in colour, it can be spotted coming to the surface to replenish the air supply it stores beneath its wing cases.

Earth-Boring Dung Beetles

Male minotaur beetle
Male minotaur beetle ©Ian A Kirk

Minotaur beetle

Species

So-named for its three bull-like horns, the Minotaur beetle is a large dung beetle found on grassland and heathland from the autumn. Adults drag dung back to their nests for their larvae to feed on.

False Blister Beetles

A glittering green swollen-thighed beetle on a leaf, demonstrating the chunky thighs that earn its name
Male swollen-thighed beetle © Tom Hibbert

Swollen-thighed beetle

Species

This metallic green beetle can be seen visiting flowers on sunny days in spring and summer.

Fire-Coloured Beetles

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle ©David Longshaw

Red-headed cardinal beetle

Species

A bright red beetle, with black legs and knobbly antennae, the red-headed cardinal beetle lives up to its name. Look for it in woodland, along hedgerows and in parks and gardens over summer.

Fireflies and Glowworms

Glow worm larva
Jim Higham

Glow-worm

Species

The glow-worm is not actually a worm, but a beetle. Males look like typical beetles, but the nightly glow of a female is unmistakeable - lighting up to attract a mate in the darkness of their grassland habitats. Look for the adults in summer.

Ground Beetles

Green Tiger Beetle
Green Tiger Beetle ©Philip Precey

Green tiger beetle

Species

A ferocious and agile predator, the green tiger beetle hunts spiders, ants and caterpillars on heaths, grasslands and sand dunes. It is one of our fastest insects and a dazzling metallic green colour.

Violet ground beetle
Violet ground beetle (Carabus problematicus) ©Margaret Holland

Violet ground beetle

Species

Violet ground beetles are active predators, coming out at night to hunt slugs and other invertebrates in gardens, woodlands and meadows.

Ladybirds

2-spot Ladybird

2-spot ladybird

Species

Our most common ladybird, the black-on-red markings of the 2-spot Ladybird are familiar to many of us. Ladybirds are beneficial insects, managing garden pests - encourage them by putting up a bug box.

Eyed Ladybird
Eyed Ladybird ©Richard Burkmarr

Eyed ladybird

Species

The large eyed ladybird is unmistakeable: it is our only ladybird with yellow rings around its black spots. Ladybirds are beneficial insects, managing garden pests - encourage them by putting up a bug box.

7-spot ladybird

Species

One of our most common ladybirds, the black-on-red markings of the 7-spot ladybird are very familiar. Ladybirds are a gardeners best friend as they eat insects that love to nibble on garden plants! You can encourage them into your garden by putting up a…

Orange Ladybird
Orange Ladybird ©Nancy Coppock

Orange ladybird

Species

The orange ladybird is pale orange with up to 16 cream spots on its wing cases. It feeds on mildew on trees like sycamore and ash, and hibernates in the leaf litter. It often turns up in moth traps.

Harlequin Ladybird ©Amy Lewis

Harlequin ladybird

Species

A non-native species originating from Asia, the harlequin ladybird is prevalent in towns and gardens.

14-spot Ladybird ©Amy Lewis

14-spot ladybird

Species

The 14-spot ladybird is one of three yellow ladybirds in the UK. Look for it in grassland, woodland and gardens. Ladybirds are beneficial insects, managing garden pests - encourage them by putting up a bug box.

22-spot Ladybird
22-spot Ladybird ©Jon Hawkins/Surrey Hills Photography

22-spot ladybird

Species

The 22-spot ladybird is one of three yellow ladybirds in the UK. Look for it in grassland, woodland and gardens. Ladybirds are beneficial insects, managing garden pests - encourage them by putting up a bug box.

Leaf Beetles

Bloody-nosed Beetle
Bloody-nosed Beetle ©Bruce Shortland

Bloody-nosed beetle

Species

The common name of the Bloody-nosed beetle derives from its unusual defence mechanism: when threatened, it secretes a distasteful blood-red liquid from its mouth. This flightless beetle can be found on grassland and heathland, and along hedgerows.

Green Tortoise Beetle
Green Tortoise Beetle ©northeastwildlife.co.uk

Green tortoise beetle

Species

When threatened, the Green tortoise beetle acts just like a tortoise, pulling its feet and antennae in and hunkering down, gripping the leaf it is on as tightly as possible. Look for it on White Dead-nettle in gardens and hedgerows.

Tansy beetle
Geoff Oxford

Tansy beetle

Species

This jewel like leaf beetle is an incredibly scarce species which is only found in wetland habitats.

A shiny green and red rosemary beetle
Pete Richman

Rosemary beetle

Species

This beautiful beetle only arrived in the UK in 1960s but is now a common sight on garden herbs.

Longhorn Beetles

Musk Beetle
Musk Beetle ©Lizzie Wilberforce

Musk beetle

Species

The metallic-green Musk beetle lives up to its name: it releases a musky-smelling secretion when it defends itself. It is a longhorn beetle, so has lengthy antennae. Look for it near wetlands in summer.

Wasp Beetle
Wasp Beetle ©Penny Frith

Wasp beetle

Species

A clever mimic, the wasp beetle is black-and-yellow and moves in a jerky, flight-like fashion - fooling predators into thinking it is actually a more harmful common wasp. Look for it in hedgerows and woods in summer.

A black-and-yellow longhorn beetle on an oxe-eye daisy
Black-and-yellow longhorn beetle © Tom Hibbert

Black-and-yellow longhorn beetle

Species

This brightly-coloured beetle is often found feeding on flowers on warm days in late spring and summer.

A black-spotted longhorn beetle resting on a leaf
Black-spotted longhorn beetle © Brian Eversham

Black-spotted longhorn beetle

Species

These bulky beetles can sometimes be found on flowers in woodland rides or along hedgerows.

A golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle resting on a pink flowerhead
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle © Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle

Species

This beautiful beetle is fond of damp meadows and woodland rides, where it's often found on umbellifers or thistles.

Rove Beetles

Common Sexton Beetle ©Richard Burkmarr

Common sexton beetle

Species

The Common sexton beetle is one of several burying beetle species in the UK. An undertaker of the animal world, it buries dead animals like mice and birds, and feeds and breeds on the corpses.

Devil's Coach Horse
Russ Cribb

Devil's coach horse

Species

A ferocious and fast predator, the Devil's coach horse beetle hunts invertebrates after dark in gardens and on grasslands. It is well-known for curling up its abdomen like the tail of a scorpion when defending itself.

Scarab Beetles

cockchafer climbing up a plant stalk
© Nick Upton

Common cockchafer

Species

This large, brown beetle can be seen swarming around streetlights in spring. They live underground as larvae for years and emerge as adults often in large numbers. Listen for their characteristic buzzing sound.

Rose Chafer
Rose Chafer ©Derek Moore

Rose chafer

Species

The rose chafer can be spotted on garden flowers, as well as in grassland, woodland edges and scrub.

Noble chafer beetle
Noble chafer ©Harry Green

Noble chafer

Species

The Noble chafer is a rare and beautiful metallic-green beetle that can be found in traditional orchards. It is on the wing over summer, feeding on umbellifers. The larvae live in the decaying wood of old trees.

Soldier Beetles

Cantharis rustica, a black and red soldier beetle with a black, heart-shaped mark on its red pronotum, rests on a grass seedhead
Soldier beetle, Cantharis rustica © Tom Hibbert

Soldier beetle

Species

One of our largest soldier beetles, often found on flowers where they hunt other insects.

Common Red Soldier Beetle
Common Red Soldier Beetle ©Philip Precey

Common red soldier beetle

Species

The common red soldier beetle is also known as the 'bloodsucker' for its striking red appearance, but it is harmless. It is a beneficial garden insect as the adults eat aphids, and the larvae eat other pests.

Stag Beetles

Stag Beetle
Stag Beetle ©Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Stag beetle

Species

Famous for its fearsome jaws, the stag beetle does not have the bite to match. Look for it in woods, parks and gardens in South East England in summer. Males display their massive jaws to attract females and duel with their rivals.

Lesser stag beetle
Lesser stag beetle ©Wendy Carter

Lesser stag beetle

Species

The lesser stag beetle may be smaller than its famous cousin, but it is still a large beetle with large jaws. It can be seen in woods, parks and hedgerows during summer, and depends on dead wood.

Rhinoceros Beetle
Rhinoceros Beetle ©Philip Precey

Rhinoceros beetle

Species

The rhinoceros beetle lives up to its name by sporting a distinctive 'horn' on the males' head. This glossy, blue-black beetle can be found in woods, parks and hedgerows, and depends on dead wood.

Whirligig Beetles

Whirligig Beetle
Whirligig Beetle ©Amy Lewis

Whirligig beetle

Species

Ever wondered what that little black dot whirling in circles on the top of the water of a pond is? Those are whirligig beetles! Often seen shooting across the water surface on the hunt for its next meal.

Wood-Borer Beetles

Deathwatch beetle
Deathwatch beetle ©Dr Malcolm Storey

Deathwatch beetle

Species

Famed for its tapping in the middle of the night, supposedly heralding tragedy, the Deathwatch beetle is a serious wood-boring pest. In houses, their tunnelling can cause major damage.