For Anyone Interested in the Wildlife of the U.K.
Summer Chafers
Scientific name: Amphimallon solstitialis
Size: Approx 20mm long
Distribution: Found throughout the UK
Months seen: June to August
Life span: The adult beetles live for up to 8 weeks
Habitat: Meadows, hedgerows and gardens
Food: Adults feed on leaves of various plants and trees. The larvae feed on roots
Special features: Summer Chafers look similar to the cockchafer but they are much smaller and the abdomen is more rounded at the tail end (rather than pointed). Also the head and thorax is brown, wheras on the cockchafer it is grey. The antennae have just three segments.
Summer Chafers are declining in numbers now, but where found they are often seen in large numbers, often around deciduous trees.
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