Scientists have been unable to produce these chemicals synthetically in spite of the great need. The Chinese thought these twinkling little creatures came from burning grass. A European legend warned that if a lightning bug flew in the window, someone was going to die. American Indians collected lightning bugs and smeared them as decorations on their faces and chest. They don't bite, they have no pincers, they don't attack, they don't carry disease, they are not poisonous, they don't even fly very fast.
Fireflies are winged beetles.
The pronotum is reddish-yellow with a black spot in the center. Brownish-black wing covers have a light yellowish area entirely around them except in front. The luminous lower end of a male firefly's abdomen is yellowish-green, whereas the female has a smaller splotch. Eggs secreted in the earth may show a touch of luminescence. The larva is a voracious predator that eats snails, slugs, cutworms, mites and pollen.