What Do Lighting Bugs Eat & Drink?

All lightening bug life stages glow--even the eggs.

There are over 1,900 species of lightening bugs, and about 200 of these species live in the United States and Canada. They eat different types of food, depending on the species and life stage.

Larvae

Lightening bug eggs hatch into flightless larvae that are often seen glowing on damp grass and along streams. The larvae eat earthworms, snails and the larvae of other insects. They kill their prey by injecting them with poison before eating them.

Adults

After the larval stage, lightening bugs pass through a brief pupal stage and then become adults. The flightless females of some species are called glowworms. Most adult fireflies sip flower nectar. Some species do all their feeding as larvae and once they reach the adult phase they don't eat at all.

Trickery

The females of some species trick males of other species. They imitate the mating signals of the other species to lure the male and then eat him.

References

• ""World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 7"; 2010
• "Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders"; Christopher O'Toole; 2002