Dung beetles are amazing insects that spend their lives mucking out your pastures. The adults use liquid contents for nourishment, and they lay eggs in small manure balls (brood balls) they bury in the ground. In the process, they serve as Nature’s clean-up crew, getting rid of the manure “pat” and facilitating natural fertilization and aeration of the soil. Bill Clymer, PhD (parasitology) from Amarillo, Texas, says dung beetles are also the horseman’s allies for controlling parasites that depend on manure as part of their life cycle.

In warm regions, beetles might be active year-round. There are more than 90 species of dung beetles in North America. Some are more active during warm seasons; others are more active during cool seasons. This means you might not have the same beetles working on manure in March and April as are active in July and August. Some are native; others have been imported. The native beetles are often a little smaller and tend to be more active in cool weather. Some of the more efficient ones, such as the Onthophagus gazella, were imported from Africa by the USDA.

“One of the O. gazella species that’s about the size of your little fingernail will consume or bury more than 15 pounds of manure in its lifetime,” says Clymer. “I have seen 20- to 30-pound manure pats from cattle totally gone within 24 hours