What do scarab beetles eat?

Scarab beetles (family Scarabaeidae) exhibit diverse feeding habits depending on their specific subfamily and life stage. Their diets include:

• Dung: True scarabs (Scarabaeinae) and related groups like Aphodiinae and Geotrupinae are dung feeders. They consume animal excrement, often burying it to feed themselves or to provide food for their larvae.12
• Plant Matter: Many scarabs are phytophagous. For example, June beetles and chafers (Melolonthinae) typically feed on plant roots as larvae and leaves as adults. Flower chafers (Cetoniinae) consume pollen and tree juices as adults, while their larvae feed on organic matter in the soil, sometimes damaging plant roots.1
• Decaying Material: Members of the subfamily Dynastinae (rhinoceros, Hercules, and elephant beetles) feed on rotting wood, humus, or decaying vegetation. Similarly, the larvae of some shining leaf chafers (Rutelinae) may feed on rotten wood or humus.1
• Fungi: A small number of scarab species feed on fungi.3

Because of these varied diets, some scarab species are considered agricultural pests, while others, such as dung beetles, provide ecological benefits by recycling waste.32