Caen Hill, Devizes, Wiltshire, U.K.
Order : Coleoptera
Family : Melolonthidae
Sub-Family : Melolonthinae
Genus : Melolontha
Species : Melolontha melolontha
This magnificent beetle can reach sizes up to 35mm in length and can be found in a variety of habitats including gardens, hedgerows, and light woodland. It is the UK's largest chafer species. The adults appear in May and are popularly known as the May Bug. They have rather spectacular antennae that have a beautiful fan-like tip. These antennae can be used to determine the sex of the beetle as males have seven 'fingers' in their fan-like tip and females have only six. The adult beetle can live for up to six weeks and once mated the female starts laying up to 80 eggs in several batches. She buries them quite deep in the earth where the larvae hatch after 4-6 weeks.
The rather unattractive larvae develop below ground, usually for 3-4 years but up to five years in colder climates. Feeding on plant and grass roots they continually grow to about 45mm in length before moving deeper into the soil and pupating in the Autumn. The adult emerges after six weeks in the pupal stage but stays buried and overwinters underground, finding its way to the surface in April or May.
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