Common Cockchafer

Often known as the May Bug, Spang Beetle, or Billywitch, the Common Cockchafer is a quintessential sign of spring across Europe. This chunky, buzzing flyer is famous for its "clumsy giant" personality, often heard bumping into windowpanes or spinning on its back after a failed landing near a porch light. While its loud hum and large size can be startling, it is a harmless garden visitor with a fascinatingly long life cycle hidden beneath the soil.

🔍 How to Identify

• 🪲 The "Fan" Antennae: One of their most striking features is their fan-like antennae (lamellate). Males have seven "leaves" on their fans, while females have six.
• 🟤 Rusty Wing Covers: They possess ridged, dusty-brown wing covers (elytra) that contrast sharply with their black-and-grey head and thorax.
• 📐 Triangular Pattern: If you look at their sides, you will see a very distinctive row of white triangular spots on a black background along the edge of the abdomen.

🌳 Habitat & Ecology

• ⏳ A Long Wait: Most of a Cockchafer's life is spent in total darkness. As "white grubs," they live underground for three to five years, feeding on the roots of grasses and plants before finally emerging as adults.
• 🌙 Nocturnal Navigators: Adults emerge in late April or May. They are primarily active at dusk, flying toward the silhouettes of trees (like Oak or Beech) to feed on leaves and find mates. They are famously "blinded" by artificial lights, which causes their erratic evening flight patterns.

⚠️ Safety & Toxicity

• ✅ Harmless Giant: Despite their intimidating size and loud buzzing, Cockchafers are completely harmless to humans.
• 🦶 Prickly Feet: They do not bite or sting. However, they have tiny hooks on their legs designed for gripping leaves; if one lands on you, it might feel a bit "scratchy" or "prickly," but it won't cause any harm to you, your children, or your pets.

✨ Fun Fact

In 1320, the Common Cockchafer was actually taken to court! In Avignon, France, the beetles were "sued" for destroying crops. When they failed to appear in court to defend themselves, the judge officially ordered them to leave the area or face excommunication by the church.