Garden chafers are not always accepted, because their larvae, which live in the soil, are not liked by hobby gardeners. However, insects are rarely a pest. When they become a nuisance, special measures must be taken.

The garden chafer looks very similar to the cockchafer, but it is hairy

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Garden chafer in the garden
  3. Control garden beetles
  4. Fight of course
  5. Characteristics
  6. Happen
  7. lifestyle and development
  8. frequently asked Questions

    9. the essentials in brief

    • Neither garden beetles nor their larvae usually do much damage
    • Garden chafer grubs can cause bare and brown patches in the lawn
    • Garden chafers can be controlled with nematodes or pheromone traps; fighting with poison is strongly discouraged
    • Garden beetles look similar to May and June beetles, but are much smaller

    Garden chafer in the garden

    There is usually no need to worry if you spot a garden beetle in the garden. The insects feel particularly comfortable there because they find a rich supply of food. The animals usually do not cause any damage. Even if the larvae, which are about 15 millimeters in size, appear in large numbers, they do not cause any significant damage.

    Only in exceptional cases do garden beetles cause major damage to lawns or roses.

    damage picture

    When gaps and patchy brown discolouration appear in the lawn, grubs are often the cause. Damage from the garden beetle can occur between July and September. Birds peck the grubs out of the loose soil, which also tears up the lawn. The eaten grasses can no longer establish themselves and show stunted growth.

    In the event of a mass occurrence of grubs, the turf can detach, with such severe damage being caused by other scarab beetle larvae. In some years, the adult beetles can be observed in large numbers on roses. They leave feeding tracks in flowers and petals, whereby the damage is not significant.

    The garden beetle causes great damage

    What to do against garden chafers?

    If the garden beetle has caused damage to the lawn, you should prevent further reproduction. There are effective ways you can use to fight the plague. However, all measures also have disadvantages that you should assess beforehand.

    tips

    You should identify the grub before you initiate control measures. They can also be useful species that do not damage your lawn.

    poison

    Chemical control of the garden beetle should be avoided, as sprays not only affect pests but also beneficial insects. Chemical agents are usually ineffective against the flying insects. If the soil is treated with toxins, toxic substances can leak into the groundwater or have negative effects on nearby surface water.

    nematodes

    Threadworms are an effective means of controlling grubs in the soil. The species Heterorhabditis bacteriophora lives parasitically and uses the larvae of the garden beetle as a host. They penetrate the body openings and secrete a bacterium that kills the organisms within a few days.

    Application of nematodes:

    • between July and September
    • Ground temperature of at least twelve degrees Celsius
    • Mix powder with water
    • pour onto the lawn within 45 minutes
    • Only apply on overcast days due to high UV sensitivity

    Fight of course

    A natural fight against potential pests is always better than the chemical club. The effects on the environment and health are as low as possible and the beetles are reduced in a gentle way.

    tips

    Numerous insects do not like the smell of garlic. Put some plants directly on the lawn or stick garlic cloves into the ground.

    attractant

    Special funnel traps attract the animals with pheromones. Extracts from natural plant fragrances are used as attractants. Such traps are set in the flight season between May and July. Since the beetles only fly from morning to early afternoon in dry weather, the trap cannot be used to reduce the population. Such pheromone traps are primarily used to record the occurrence of the species.

    These substances are attractive to garden chafers:

    • hexanol: leaf alcohol
    • eugenol: Component of clove oil
    • Geranio: Component of rose and geranium oil

    digression

    This is how pheromone traps work

    Garden chafers fly at a height of between 50 and 100 centimeters during their swarming flight, which is why the attractant trap has to be installed at this height. The traps release attractants via a dispenser that attract both male and female beetles. It has been found that garden chafers are more often attracted to yellow surfaces. The color yellow, in combination with the scents, acts like a blossom towards which the beetles fly. They fly against vertically arranged baffles and fall into a funnel.(5.00€)

    Build your own trap

    For a self-made trap you need a dark green plastic pot and two yellow plastic plates. Alternatively, you can use a plexiglass pane, which you saw into two parts and stick with yellow foil. The two sections are later put together so that they form a cross. To do this, you have to saw a notch in both sections - starting from the shorter edge - up to the middle of the panels. The cross is placed in the pot and now forms eight baffles.

    • Glue the bottle of attractant to the cross
    • Place the trap at a height of 50 to 100 centimetres
    • check daily

    Characteristics

    The garden beetle (Phyllopertha horticola) belongs to the scarab beetle family and is incorrectly referred to as the June beetle. The beetles are about eight to eleven millimeters long and can be recognized by their light brown elytra. The rest of the body is densely haired and shines in a metallic black-green. The fine granulation of the body and the rows of dots on the elytra are striking. Garden chafers have short antennae that end in a three-lobed fan.

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    Difference between garden leaf beetle and may beetle

    Cockchafers reach a body size of between two and three centimeters and are thus significantly larger than garden beetles. They have a glossy black body that is hairless. The compartments also differ between species. In May beetles, the feeler ends in six to seven lamellae.

    Difference between garden beetles and June beetles

    Various species from the genera Amphimallon and Rhizotrogus are often referred to as June beetles. This trivial name is common for the ribbed curlew beetle. The garden leaf beetle is also called the June beetle less frequently. They all belong to the scarab beetle family.

    Scientific name coloring hairiness
    Ribbed tufted beetle Amphimallon solstitiale leather yellow to brown lateral eyelash bristles
    June beetle Rhizotrogus marginipes variable shades of brown fitting
    garden beetle Phyllopertha horticola black-green body, light brown wings tight

    Happen

    Garden chafers are found in Europe and Asia. Their range extends into central Fennoscandia. In the south of Europe, the mountain regions limit the area. The beetles colonize fields and meadows, with forest edges and hedgerows being the preferred habitats. Garden beetles are also found in gardens. They can be found from the lowlands to the mountains and are a widespread and common species in Central Europe.

    lifestyle and development

    The species is diurnal and flies from May to July in search of food and partners willing to mate. Each year there is one generation that stays in the ground at least until the following spring. Under suboptimal conditions, larval development can extend over two years.

    Mating season is from May to July

    larval development

    Females lay up to 40 eggs, preferring loose and sandy soil in sunny places as a place to lay their eggs. It takes about five to six weeks for a larva to hatch from the egg. The grubs live in the ground and go through three larval stages before pupating. In order to survive the winter unscathed, the larvae retreat to deeper and frost-free soil layers. They pupate in the coming spring and hatch after about three weeks. Adult beetles have a life expectancy of about four weeks.

    food

    The beetles eat leaves from various deciduous trees. They prefer the foliage of birch, oak and hazelnut trees. Occasionally they also eat flowers, with cherry and rose blossoms being particularly popular. The larvae living in the soil feed on plant roots, especially grass roots, until they pupate.

    Menu of the grubs:

    • first stage: small humus particles
    • second stage: Roots of fine grass species
    • third stage: all plant roots

    Natural enemies

    All insectivores can be dangerous for the garden beetle. Its natural predators include a range of mammals such as shrews, bats, moles and cats. There are also numerous birds that prey on the small beetles.

    frequently asked Questions

    What does the garden beetle look like?

    The garden beetle is densely hairy all over its body. Except for the light brown elytra, the beetle is black-green in color and has a metallic sheen. Its feelers are striking because they end in a three-lobed fan. Black dots can be seen on the wings, which are arranged in six rows per elytra.

    How old does a garden leaf-creeper get?

    The development from egg to adult beetle takes a long time. Normally, the newly hatched larvae live in the ground with a hibernation until the following spring, when they pupate. Sometimes this development takes two years. The adult beetles are up to four weeks old.

    Which home remedies help against garden leaf beetles?

    Put plants in your garden that are poisonous to grubs. Geraniums and delphiniums have emerged as effective ways to control the larvae. Only the third instar larvae eat the thicker roots. To prevent the females from laying eggs, you can plant garlic.

    How can I prevent a garden beetle infestation?

    The beetles prefer loose sandy soil in a sunny location as a place to lay their eggs, so that their larvae can develop optimally in the soil. A patchy lawn favors egg laying, because then the females can lay their eggs directly on the ground. Make sure that the lawn is overgrown. If you find an infestation, nematodes or thorough loosening of the soil will help. The grubs need moisture and will die within a short time if the substrate is aerated.

Category:

Animals in the garden