Nymphs spend 4-6 years underground feeding on tree root xylem sap before emerging to molt into adults — a similar long underground larval stage to North American annual cicadas.
Hercules beetle larvae spend 1–2 years inside rotting logs and can grow to over 100 grams before pupating.
Adult lifespan is exactly one week. Everything they have to do — find a mate, lay eggs — happens in seven days.
In captivity these roaches live 2–5 years — extreme longevity for an insect, and longer than most pet rodents.
Stag beetle larvae develop for 3-7 years inside rotting wood — one of the longest insect childhoods.
A Macrotermes queen lives 50 years and lays 30,000 eggs every day — making her possibly the longest-lived insect on Earth.
Larvae spend 1-3 years in the pit before pupating — most of their life is the ambush phase.
