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Project Noah Nature School
Melolontha melolontha
I rescued this May bug from a road, brought it home, made some pics and released it in trees that he likes to eat, near the woods in my neighborhood. It was a nice encounter since these beetles are nowadays endangered and not so common anymore in Belgium as they used to be. Male cockchafers have seven "leaves" on their antennae, whereas the females have only six. Thus the specimen shown in the pics is a male. Adults appear at the end of April or in May and live for about five to seven weeks. Cockchafers appear in a cycle of every three or four years; the years vary from region to region.
The common cockchafer lays its eggs in fields, whereas the Forest Cockchafer stays in the vicinity of the trees. The preferred food for adults is oak leaves, but they will also feed on conifer needles.The larvae feed on plant roots, for instance potato roots.
Spotted on May 13, 2013
Submitted on Jul 10, 2013
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