Hard-working Colombian beetles clean garbage, retire as pets
By ASTRID SUÁREZ
Associated Press
TUNJA, Colombia (AP) — A Colombian company is using beetles to transform food waste into fertilizer— and then sends some off to retirement as pets in Japan. The yellow-and-black bugs can grow up to 6.5 inches long as adults. In their larval stage, they chew through garbage in a rural area around the city of Tunja and leave behind fertilizer rich in nitrogen and phosphorous. As adults, some are headed for scientific labs. And a lucky few embark on a future across the Pacific in Japan, where beetles are popular as pets.