Redheaded pasture cockchafer

Redheaded cockchafers are an important pest of pastures and some cereal crops. The larvae are soil dwelling and feed on the roots of plants and other decaying soil material. Adults are stout, shiny reddish black beetles about 8mm wide and up to 15mm long. Larvae are soft, whitish c-shaped grubs with three pairs of yellowish legs and a hard, reddish brown head capsule. Newly hatched larvae are only 5mm long but when mature grubs reach up to 30mm in length. The redheaded cockchafer has a life cycle of two years, with the larval stage completed mostly underground. The adult beetles emerge from the soil from late winter to early spring and fly at dusk, to mate before the females then lay their egg into the soil.