The Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle
The Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle is more than just a fascinating insect—it’s a key indicator of the health of Chesapeake Bay’s beaches. These small but resilient beetles depend on wide, sandy beaches to survive, making their presence a reflection of the environment’s overall condition.
The Beetle’s Decline Signals a Changing Shoreline
Thriving tiger beetle populations signal that the beaches they call home are wide, sandy, dynamic and therefore, “healthy.” However, habitat loss from erosion, rising sea levels, and human activity places these beetles—and the entire ecosystem they and other organisms depend on —at risk.
In fact, populations that once swarmed the northeast beaches for which they are named, like those in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, are mostly gone. The only remaining populations can be found in two places in Massachusetts and Virginia’s and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay shores. For this reason, the Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle was listed as federally “Threatened” in 1990 under the Endangered Species Act.
While still present at many Chesapeake Bay sites, their numbers have declined more than three-fold since the 1990s. Efforts to conserve the Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle aren’t just about protecting a single species. They’re about preserving the sandy shorelines that support wildlife, protecting communities, and defining the Chesapeake Bay’s unique character.
Look for These Burrow Openings at the Beach and Protect Them
Larvae are critical to the survival of the Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle because they are a key part of the species' life cycle and overall survival strategy. The larvae are burrowers and spend most of their life (two to three years) in the sand. This photo shows the opening of a larvae burrow with sand expelled from it by the burrowing larvae. Larvae live for two to three years in these burrows where they lie in wait to feed on ants, flies, spiders, and other beetles. Larvae depend on undisturbed sandy beaches for burrowing and hunting. Human activities like repeated beach recreation and development along with natural erosion can disrupt these habitats and reduce the number of suitable locations for larvae to thrive, directly impacting the species' survival.
beetle biology
There’s more to this beetle than meets the eye—here are some fascinating facts about its life on the sand.
Look for the beetle at the beach
⅔ inch long insect that can be found actively feeding and mating on open sandy beaches of suitable habitat.
The beetles startle easily and fly
When approached with 10-20 yards, they will readily fly up and land 15 to 25 yards away.
What beetle’s eat
Active visual predators that feed on small insects and other beach organisms
The beetle's life cycle
Females deposit eggs below the sand surface. The larva hatches from the egg and digs a burrow in the sand where it develops through three larval stages over a period of two years, then emerges from the burrow as an adult. Larvae remain in burrows during their development, waiting at the mouth of the burrow to capture small insects and other prey that come within two inches of the burrow.
