Rose Chafer - Cetonia aurata
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Species Description
Scattered and locally frequent in the southern half of the UK. Habitat includes: meadows, gardens, woodland, parks, churchyards, allotments, scrub, hedgerows, roadside verges etc. Length: 14 - 20 mm. Life story: Adults feed on various flowers, fruits and leaves such as roses. I've also observed them eating Oxeye Daisies and dandelions. Flight period: April to September (occasionally later). The adults tend to fly during warm sunny weather and are extremely clumsy - always crashing into things. Females burrow down to a depth of about 20 cm into loose soil (often using flower pots) or occasionally very rotten wood to lay their eggs. The adult lands on the surface then quickly burrows down lays an egg and then moves on to another location. The developing grubs remain in the ground for around 2-3 years before metamorphosing into the adult form during the 2nd or 3rd winter, emerging in the spring the following year. The larvae are often encountered when digging out flower pots and care must be taken when handling them as they can give quite a nip! As soon as they make contact with the soil they usually burrow down within seconds.