This pygidium often leads people to believe that this species can sting, but do not worry – this beetle cannot sting. The cockchafer is about 2.5cm in length and is the largest species of chafer beetle in the UK. Thanks! Despite the mounting pressures, hope is not lost. The grubs (sometimes called rookworms as they are prized by corvids) can devastate cereal crops. The intimidating sharp point at the tip of a cockchafer’s abdomen is not a sting, but a pygidium – used by females to push their eggs deep into the soil. Cockchafer beetle. 'Then after dark, they are attracted to light and can get caught in lamp shades. If more than 5-10 grubs are found per section, chafer control is recommended. Root feeding grubs include; white curl grub, scarab beetle larvae, lawn beetle larvae or cockchafer. Find out about the plants and animals that make the UK home. And you can help. Â, We are a charity and we rely on your support. Rose Chafer larvae are equally adept at destroying plant life, including grass. The cockchafer is sometimes called a ‘doodle-bug’ or May bug, although it is in fact a beetle. People tell us they 'still get shivers walking through the front door', and thank us for inspiring the next generation of scientists. True bugs that can fly have wings that usually overlap when folded, instead of meeting in a mid-line as cockchafer wings do. She said, 'They've certainly been seen in April this year around the country.'. Cockchafers tend to live between four to five weeks. Cockchafer Beetle Maybug melolantha melolantha Irish beetles Ireland Irish UK Europe hairy elytra chitin insect macro photograph European beetle. Only those grubs found in turf are likely to be chafers damaging lawn roots Other less troublesome species of chafer grubs can also occur in turf and garden borders, such as the cockchafer ( Melolontha melolontha ), summer chafer ( Amphimallon solstitialis ) and brown chafer ( Serica brunnea ). Mostly affect flats and high rise buildings. Cockchafer beetles used to be common across Europe, but were almost wiped out by pesticides during the 20th century. These are not to be mixed up with the “witchetty grub”. Adult Cockchafers are found on and around trees and shrubs in gardens, parks, field hedgerows and woodland margins, feeding on leaves and flowers. 'It flies around tree tops, nibbles leaves as adults and eats roots below ground as a larva. Common chafer on green grass. Find out more. 'They have a segment called the pygidium at the end of their abdomen, which is long and pointed,' Hine said. This familiar beetle has a black thorax, rusty brown elytra (wing cases) and brown legs. The adult beetles have reddish-brown wing cases and a black head with short fan-like antennae. Amazing encounter with an Enormous Flying Cockchafer Beetle The chubby white grubs attack grass blades from the roots, potentially ruining pristine turf. Mostly affect flats and high rise buildings. And those aren’t the only names in use either – mitchamador, billy witch and spang beetle have all been used in different areas in the past. We must act on scientific evidence, we must act together, and we must act now. Females lay their eggs in the soil, and these hatch into carnivorous larvae. Adults: cockchafer beetles are large and bulky, growing up to 30mm in length. Now we're wondering if you can help us. Â, Every year, more people are reading our articles to learn about the challenges facing the natural world. It has characteristic fanned antennae, a black body, and brown legs and wingcases. We use them to help improve our content, personalise it for you and tailor our digital advertising on third-party platforms. A 19th century recipe from France for cockchafer soup reads: "roast one pound of cockchafers without wings and legs in sizzling butter, then cook them in a chicken soup, add some veal liver and serve with chives on a toast". Cockchafers, along with stag beetles, dung beetles, dor beetles and scarabs, have the last three to seven segments of their antennae expanded into flat, plate-like leaves, which sit in a distinctive fan-like arrangement. A chemist who collects insects as a pastime has spotted what generations of British entomologists have missed: a native British beetle, living in ancient Scottish pine forests. It is also prone to falling down chimneys. Beetles have heavy body armor, so they often fly more slowly than other insects. Hence their nickname, the June Bug. 'We would usually expect to get 100 or more calls from people wanting to know what this peculiar creature is,' said Hine. Figeaters are the most widespread beetle in their subgroup. The cockchafer, colloquially called May bug or doodlebug, a European beetle … We are closed until further notice. The cockchafer is sometimes called a ‘doodle-bug’ or May bug, although it is in fact a beetle. Cockchafers have caused their fair share of historical surprises, in 1320, an Avignon court sentenced cockchafers to exile in a special reserve – the beetles did not comply. Another common species to look out for is the summer chafer, Amphimallon solstitialis. Bug bite pictures can be purchased at bookstores via medical books pertaining to bug bites or dermatological issues. The grubs are white and C-shaped with six legs and reddish-brown heads.Â. When a beetle lands on the ground, the delicate wings tuck safely away under hard wing cases called elytra. It is a clumsy flier and makes a buzzing sound. Scarab beetles (including the chafers and dung beetles) have characteristic antennae in which the final segments have fan-like extensions. That said, the problems caused in lawns are most commonly caused by the Garden Chafer and the Welsh Chafer. The larvae, sometimes called rookworms, live in the soil and eat the roots of vegetables and grasses. Museum Coleoptera Curator Beulah Garner said a warm spell will bring them out early. There are nearly 20 species of chafer in Britain, most do not cause problems in gardens; The larvae have white bodies, brown heads and three pairs of legs the largest species, the cockchafer or Maybug (Melolontha melolontha) can reach 50mm in length. Understanding and protecting life on our planet is the greatest scientific challenge of our age. Cockchafers are also called May bugs because of the time of year when they tend to emerge. Our expert guide to cockchafers explains how to identify this fascinating beetle, plus facts about their diet and habitat. The most recognisable of these in the UK is the Cock Chafer, a large beetle which you’ll see between May and June. The Devil’s coach horse is a long, black beetle with short elytra (wing cases). We use cookies to make your online experience sweeter. The common cockchafer differs from similar chafer species by having a pointed pygidium, which is a segment at the end of their abdomen. No need to register, buy now! A cockchafer is a type of large, flying beetle that can be quite noisy. The life cycle of the common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) has the following stages: egg, three larval instars, a pupal instar and the adult beetle.The adult beetle is 25 to 30 mm long, with a dark head, black pronotum covered with short hairs, and reddish brown elytra with four longitudinal ribs each. You must be over the age of 13. But if we don't look after nature, nature can't look after us. For many, the Museum is a place that inspires learning, gives purpose and provides hope. Until pesticides started controlling them in the Twentieth Century, cockchafers were a serious agricultural pest. One of Britain’s bulkiest beetles, the 3-cm-long cockchafer can be heard and seen buzzing and bumping against light fittings and window panes (more commonly in the south) from late April to July. Adult European chafers are tan or brown beetles resembling June beetles and measure approximately 1.5cm in length. By entering your details, you are agreeing to Discover Wildlife terms and conditions and privacy policy. These pests will feed on your lawns root system and will be a serious problem. Their colour range from light brown/grey to dark brown/black. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. These small and slender members of the beetle family are a common pest usually associated with roses, but they do eat other types of plants as well. Our future depends on nature, but we are not doing enough to protect our life support system. Â, British wildlife is under threat. During that time, they look for a mate and fly into the tree tops to feed on leaves. You're now subscribed to our newsletter. The Year of the May Bug. After 3-4 years, they emerge from the ground and mate as beetles. What do cockchafer beetles look like? Their undersides are covered with fine white hairs. Thank you. A nocturnal predator, this beetle lives in and around decaying matter. The bumbling brown beetles which swarm through the dusk of late May evenings and bang against lighted window panes have several names – cockchafers, May bugs or June bugs. These beetles usually appear around late April – early May and can frequently be seen and heard flying into lit windows and even lamps indoors! Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Fast Facts. © Getty. Discover some standout British beetles, including a particularly vibrant ladybird and a rare rainbow-coloured leaf beetle. Chafer grubs, dung beetles and stag beetles all have similar looking grubs. Dr Grove suggests collecting the cockchafers and putting them outside where a chook or bird would enjoy eating them. They are mostly extinct across the rest of Europe due to the use of super-strength pesticides that are outlawed in the United Kingdom. They are short-lived and do not bite or sting. At first glance you could mistake it for an earwig. But Stuart Hine from the Museum’s Identification and Advisory Service (IAS), who is often asked by the public to identify them, confirms that they most certainly don't sting. Cockchafers spend most of their lives (three to four years) underground as larvae, or grubs. Cockchafers make an irritating buzz when flying, and the gigantic beetles are known for casusing irreparable damage to gardens and biting humans. Curl grubs are the larvae of different species of beetle including the African Black Beetle, the blackheaded pasture cockchafer, Christmas beetles and Scarab beetles. It has characteristic fanned antennae, a black body, and brown legs and wingcases. ‘They sometimes mistake chimney stacks for tree tops and occasionally fall down chimneys into open fireplaces,’ Hine said. The larvae feed on dead plant material and the live roots or stems of a broad range of plants including lawns. This is a smaller species that usually emerges at the beginning of June and is common around the date of the summer solstice, 21 June.Â, 'It does pretty much the same thing,' Hine said. ', ... or that it helped you learn something new. If more than 5-10 grubs are found per section, chafer control is recommended. Seen for the first time, an adult cockchafer, or May bug, can cause a bit of a stir and people can be worried by them. ANSWER: Adult beetles don't cause any significant damage. Adult European chafers are tan or brown beetles resembling June beetles and measure approximately 1.5cm in length. Because of the buzz of its flight, this nickname was used for Germany’s V-1 flying bomb in World War II. The May bug or doodlebug - Latin name Melolontha melolontha – known as the Spang beetle and Billy witch in Suffolk and the chovy, mitchamador, kittywitch or midsummer dor in Norfolk, is actually the Common Cockchafer. Adult cockchafers are associated with deciduous woodland where they feed on tree leaves. These are all common names for the juvenile stage of a lawn beetle that feeds on the lawn roots. No matter the size, every gift to the Museum is critical to our 300 scientists' work in understanding and protecting the natural world. Â. Cockchafers, Melolontha melolontha, are relatively large beetles belonging to the scarab family. Adults: cockchafer beetles are large and bulky, growing up to 30mm in length. The cockchafer may have got its most common name from a mixture of "cock" as in familiar, such as "cock-sparrow", and "chafer" from "cefer" or "kaefer", a gnawing beetle… The cockchafer, colloquially called Maybug or doodlebug, is the name given to any of the European beetles of the genus Melolontha, in the family Scarabaeidae. Grubs eat the roots of a variety of plants and in large numbers can become pests damaging pastures and crops. The beetles themselves don’t cause any damage at all to your lawn. Antennae are the olfactory sense organs of insects, and this formation greatly increases the surface area available for the chemosensors. Museum scientists are working hard to understand and fight against the threats facing British wildlife.Â. Discover the bioluminescent beetles putting on night-time light shows in Britain. Find the perfect cockchafer beetles stock photo. Other than being a nuisance, the beetles are not harmful. 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