Finding Christmas beetles clustered around street lights is one of those token childhood memories of summertime when festivities are in full swing!
But consensus has it that Christmas beetle sightings are becoming increasingly rare. We’ve done a bit of investigating to find out why this is so.
The glitzy Australian beetle
Christmas beetles are large and chunky, with a flattened body and shiny coats of metallic brown, yellow and sometimes green and pink. We think they are by far one of the coolest types of scarab around!
Butt-checking for beetles
There are 36 types of Christmas beetle which can make identifying them tricky, but luckily the hairs on their backsides are each characteristic of their specific species. If in doubt – check the butt!
All bar one of these species is native to Australia, 21 of which are found in NSW, mostly around Sydney and The Blue Mountains.
Clustering around town
Although these beautiful beetles are most common in South-East Australia, they can still be found in parts of QLD, where they tend to emerge earlier in the year because of our warmer weather.
Christmas beetles come out at dusk and are attracted to bright lights and eucalyptus trees. If your Christmas tree this year is a eucalypt, you may find some of these lively little fellas buzzing around your lights – a Christmas beetles’ ultimate weakness! Be careful though, because you may get more than you bargained for; these hungry beetles have been known to destroy entire Eucalyptus trees just from eating the leaves – now that’s an appetite!
So why aren’t we seeing as many?
Christmas beetles used to boom in urban areas because of their vicinity to woodlands and simultaneously, streetlights. However, the mass clearing of the Cumberland Plain Woodland in Western Sydney has severely decreased their natural habitat. This is just one example of where increased urbanisation has destroyed the Christmas beetles’ habitat.
Where are they hanging out now?
Christmas beetles can still be found in natural grassy areas and open woodland forests. If your house is situated near an environment such as this then you might have more luck seeing a Christmas beetle buzzing around your lights this festive season!
