With over 4,200 species in the UK, beetles really are everywhere. They range in size, colour and shape but all have biting or chewing mouthparts and hardened wing cases with wings folded beneath. Around 1,000 beetle species rely on trees and woodland habitats, from decaying wood to breed in, to carrion to feed on.

While carpet beetles are a pest and destroyer of our beautiful expensive wool carpets other species of beetles found in the U.K are truly amazing creatures. Such as the rainbow leaf beetle, which lives on Welsh mountainsides. Very rare in the UK, it is now found only on Mount Snowdon. The beetles' larvae feed on the flowers and leaves of wild thyme that grow there. It is one of the few UK beetle species that has legal protection.