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Burying Beetle with mites

Nicrophorus vespillo

Description:

There are mites hitching a ride on it's underside- "When burying beetles reach adulthood and strike out on their own, they take one thing with them - mites. A mated pair of burying beetles will bury the carcass of a mouse or other small animal. The parents raise their young on the carrion. But without the help of mites, the carcass would soon be teeming with maggots of the carrion fly and food would be in short supply. The mites carried on the burying beetle's cuticle feed on carrion fly eggs, preventing maggots from consuming the family's food."

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LornaSankey
Spotted by
LornaSankey

Rugby District, England, United Kingdom

Spotted on Feb 19, 2012
Submitted on Feb 19, 2012

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