Lots of minibeasts eat plants and many flying insects feed on nectar from flowers. Others, such as spiders, like to eat other minibeasts. Some minibeasts eat much stranger things – for example, some beetles and ants munch on wood, worms eat dead stuff in the soil, and dung beetles feast on animal poo.

What minibeasts are carnivores?

In fact, there are several fierce carnivorous minibeasts to be found in ponds – diving beetle, water boatman, water scorpion and pond skater to name but a few. Other predatory invertebrates on land include centipedes, harvestmen and several other species of beetles – ladybirds, soldier beetles and rove beetles.

What do minibeasts do for us?

Minibeasts are crucial for our survival: they recycle dead matter and waste products; they help with plant pollination; they are a crucial source of food in the ecosystem. Seaside minibeasts include crabs, cockles, muscles, jellyfish, corals and starfish. Some minibeasts produce by-products which humans use.