Common cockchafer

Melolontha melolontha

The noisy plant-muncher

DID YOU KNOW Cockchafers are no strangers to lawbreaking. In the early 14th century, the species was taken to court in Avignon, France, where they were ordered to leave town and relocate to a specially designated area, or be outlawed – all cockchafers that failed to comply were collected and killed. Also known as the May bug, doodlebug, spang beetle or Billy witch, the cockchafer usually appears from late April, and can often be seen and heard flying into lit windows and lights. Males are distinguished from females by the number of ‘leaves’ on their antennae – males have seven while females have six – which detect pheromones, enabling males to find females to mate.

DIET Adults chew flowers and leaves, particularly those of oaks and conifers, while the larvae feed on plant roots and are considered pests by some – they’ve been known to munch their way through entire cereal crops.

LIFECYCLE After emerging in spring, males and females mate, and females lay eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch into larvae, which live underground for three to five years eating plant roots and tubers, before pupating then developing into adults. Their adult life lasts for just six weeks, during which the female can lay up to 80 eggs.

HABITAT Mostly woodland and farmland, but you will often see cockchafers humming around the garden on late spring evenings. When digging in the garden, you may spot the larvae in the soil, especially under turf.

AT RISK? Cockchafers were once highly abundant until pesticide use in the mid-20th century almost eradicated the species. The regulation of pesticides has resulted in a gradual increase in population since the 1980s.