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Bees, Carpenter These interesting insects really aren't flies at all, but rather beetles. The firefly, or lightning bug beetle, is the popular name of these luminescent insects. There are about 136 different species of fireflies illuminating earth’s summer nights. At night, the very end (the last abdominal segment) of the firefly glows a bright yellow-green color. The signal of the firefly is recognizable because it always rises upward as it flashes its bright, yellow light. Males flash about every five seconds; females flash about every two seconds. The adult fireflies signal each other with their lights and mate. The female’s eggs are laid a few days after mating, on or slightly under soil. The eggs hatch in 4 weeks. The larvae, once hatched, begin to feed until fall. They burrow underground and over-winter as larvae buried in the soil, emerging in the spring to feed. In summer, they pupate for about 2½ weeks within a small earthen cell before emerging as adults. The light given off by fireflies is called bioluminescence. It happens when oxygen and the organic compound luciferin react together in the presence of the enzyme, lucifereace. This creates light. Although other insects can produce light, fireflies are the only insects that can flash their light on and off in distinct signals. Even the eggs and larvae of some firefly species glow. That’s where the name "glow worm" comes from.
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