Fire bug: Insects’ complex relationship with the flames

<p>There are a good number of insects that have the word &lsquo;fire&rsquo; in their common name. But while fireflies and fire bugs are so-called for their colouration rather than a love of a burn-up, and fire ants for their formidable sting, fire beetles, aka fire chasing beetles, from the genus&nbsp;<em>Melanophila</em>, really deliver according to their moniker.</p> <p>These coleopterans lay their eggs in the bark of burnt trees,&nbsp;<a href="https://watermark.silverchair.com/48-1-3.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAqEwggKdBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggKOMIICigIBADCCAoMGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMG8d2W5Kt24On00ptAgEQgIICVB1t7vR0ghINyVzSNu1crV65AnqjI-hO9WRPb-WBkwGeSvGUeOhqfSKiziOa5SZDUDrhqPTjiTGOKiVrU77e-VU8B-MCecn2IulMUxouQQi2vIW1jSwJKk-lEuSF2TgM0Y53Y-r38xQFRwBfFP9g1W5_xqCwoQDElezPOWcKByZrDafvG8Aw1Bv_fMtMM6l5zqItVJ1rm8uLNmjZqs6b7FnytqFZczbQRwob-QPCbi2B1onL9_lwohd_QGqaXLAPiqZ6DhhZPJv9q5Yk1Ro7fNzKAMBkG8KN0p0EV77R28qd64waUKomW6pzwOeaBjQGpKh2fFoDRHA1iavJ_x3T_It3chzGXij7CYzFZ_iUlfZEFH4xaYlAw8P-g44-QQvtA3EyJRk5-ZKfSFek3vgQZA87ttIbTnln73v2vQ0BYG3ZZWGXm8i7tMTIC7-OvNUeeb6SiwqFbKduS3uzcmVII0YVtiL9_dFUHSyKXyly49240LKaEQzzCS8XOJvloDH0fngi5vWlVTu4qqngZfUb0qDqirB74-gme_qFjEDgaDuOm6YSmnUNUWhkrZl3C88ERWSuftAsnaQCG7zWRx_y-4bKR60MctWLFh0MXd1PBwUalukbra4WyclpAMdo9SsvY56hCvwEMqWNRw1tDOfH7fkubsnW8kyjCHwYsk8NoOHfqko4aNHtBwvWps5T1ITzKu9xrRV8_KIIauL198pZeu9EKTT0ED_Ycs-L9cQmTkOG4oMMsSZuUvcsIPptUro1gBLpp657Ol9_vJnq118puOz7z-7h" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">drawn to their target</a>&nbsp;by the infrared radiation of fires. They&rsquo;re so frenzied in their push to get down to reproductive business that they have been known to bite firefighters getting in their way.</p> <p>Fire beetles, though often the &lsquo;first responders&rsquo;, are far from the only species from their vast order to seek opportunity in the flames.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/insectsandthat/fire-bug-insects-complex-relationship-with-the-flames-74f202dcb4e3"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>
Tags: Fire Bug