COLUMBUS, Ohio — A beetle that once helped keep forests and grasslands clean is getting a second chance in Ohio, thanks in part to a conservation partnership that now includes The Ohio State University’s United Titanium Bug Zoo.
Researchers and educators at Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) are partnering with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and The Wilds to restore populations of the American burying beetle.
The American burying beetle, once widespread across the eastern United States, is disappearing. The species was found in at least 35 states but now survives in only a small portion of that range because of habitat loss, increased competition from other scavengers and other environmental pressures.
The insect plays an important role in healthy ecosystems by locating small animal carcasses, burying them underground and using them as a food source for its developing young. In doing so, it recycles nutrients back into the soil and reduces scavenging insects such as flies.
The CFAES Wooster campus joined the conservation effort through the United Titanium Bug Zoo, part of the college’s Department of Entomology. The Bug Zoo focuses on education and outreach about insects and their role in ecosystems.
For years, the Cincinnati Zoo and The Wilds have bred the beetles in captivity and released them on approved conservation lands while monitoring their survival and reproduction.
The Bug Zoo joined the effort after Jeni Filbrun, Bug Zoo program manager and zookeeper, and colleague Carrie Elvey visited the Cincinnati Zoo’s insectarium during a staff retreat and began exploring opportunities to expand the Wooster program’s conservation work.
“We were looking to elevate our conservation efforts and find a new project,” Filbrun said.
Facilities in the CFAES Wooster Science Building made it possible for the Bug Zoo to participate. The building has specialized spaces that allow staff to care for the beetles and to simulate the natural seasonal conditions needed for breeding and release.
One key feature is a walk-in cooler used to place adult beetles into a deep-sleep state known as “torpor” during the winter. The beetles are then awakened in early spring to begin the breeding cycle.
Breeding the insects requires careful genetic planning. Using a detailed breeding “stud book” maintained by the Cincinnati Zoo, scientists select compatible beetle pairs based on years of lineage data to avoid inbreeding.
Once selected, pairs are placed in containers filled with specially prepared soil and a small animal carcass. The beetles bury the carcass and use it as food for their developing young.
This spring, Bug Zoo staff prepared eight breeding pairs using five-gallon containers and rat carcasses. When staff later checked the breeding containers, they found 283 larvae, Filbrun said.
Those larvae will mature into adult beetles that will be prepared for release.
The next phase of the project is scheduled for June 23, when the beetles raised in Wooster will be released at The Wilds conservation facility in southeastern Ohio. Volunteers, researchers and conservation partners will gather to release and monitor the insects.
Looking ahead, Bug Zoo staff hope the conservation work will continue while also creating new opportunities for Ohio State students.
“We are planning on continuing the breeding in the spring of 2027 and for many years to come,” Filbrun said. “I’m also looking forward to bringing in graduate and undergraduate students who can work on this project.”
For Filbrun, the project highlights the power of collaboration in protecting species that play an important role in healthy ecosystems.
“The support we received and the professional expertise from the team has made this project a success for us,” she said.