If you’ve seen something flying around recently, it might be a Cockchafer!
The Common Cockchafer is also known as a May Bug or Doodlebug, and June to July is when the eggs for this magnificent beetle are laid. The larvae spend anywhere between 3 and 5 years underground, before they emerge in the spring as the adult cockchafer.
Due to their nature of eating crops, these beetles are often considered a menace by farmers, and in 1320, the court of Avignon declared them outlaws when the beetles were ordered to leave town!
You can tell the difference between male and female cockchafers by counting the number of ‘leaves’ on their fan-like antennae – males have seven ‘leaves’ while females only have six.