COCKCHAFER BEETLE

The Latin name for this beetle is Melolontha melolontha.

This is also known as the May bug.

The Cockchafer is a medium to large beetle with a body length of 2 to 3cm. The adult is a distinctive chestnut colour with a hairy abdomen. When newly born, the wing-cases are thickly powdered with white. The male has long fan-like clubs on the antennae.

Adults emerge in May. They rest in trees in the day and fly in the evening. At night they visit flowers and often enter lighted rooms.

The larvae live in the soil and feed on plant roots, occasionally becoming a pest.