Best time to see: mid Apr to late Oct

Key facts

Burying beetles are the undertakers of the animal world, burying dead animals to feed their young

Widespread throughout the UK in a wide range of habitats, anywhere where dead birds or animals can be found

Some are attracted to lights in gardens at night, and especially moth traps

Recognition

Heavy flattened body, black with orange bands; up to 22mm

Clubbed orange antennae, equipped with receptors to detect rotting bodies at a distance

Often infested by reddish-brown mites (which also infest other beetle species and bumblebee queens)

Lifecycle

Male and female beetles pair up at the corpse and fight off rivals, digging beneath it to bury it

The female lays her eggs on or beside the buried body and after hatching the young eat it

The pair continue to care for their young, feeding them from the corpse