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5 Facts About Dung Beetles
We wanted to share with you a few facts about our favorite, feces-covered friend: the dung beetle. The founder of Acres U.S.A., Charles Walters, spent a lot of time reconnecting farmers to this important insect, and we thought we should share some of the knowledge he included in his book, The Greatest Invention: Dung Beetles and a Cowman's Profits.
1. By burying and sorting the dung, these beetles help repair the soil by adding back important nutrients and helping clean up livestock waste.
2. The American Institute of Biological Sciences reports that dung beetles save the United States cattle industry an estimated $380 million annually through burying above-ground livestock feces.
3. The dung beetle was a sacred being to ancient Egyptians, who believed the way the dung beetle rolled dung into a ball resembled how a god formed the sun.
4. In Australia, cattle farmers reported that experiments with dung beetles reduced flies by up to 90 percent, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
5. Curse or a blessing? The dung beetle uses its keen sense of smell to find the dung.
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