Phyllopertha horticola
Phyllopertha horticola
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The chafer grub is the larval stage of the garden chafer Beetle. Chafer Grubs feed on grassroots and are generally found in the soil at root level under lawns. The most significant cause of damage is by other animals digging up the lawn to get to the grubs as a food source.
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Traits
Are a key resource for garden birds.
Birds and other garden wildlife may damage the lawn to access the grubs beneath.
Appearance
The Chafer Grub is active Autumn to Spring
The Chafer Grub is an oversized cream coloured maggot curved in shape, with six light brown legs and head at one end. Can grow up to 20 mm in length.
The adult Chafer Beetle is active Late spring to early summer and lays eggs into the lawn.
The adult Chafer Beetle has a dark metallic green head and body, with a rich brown wing casing. Can be up to 10mm in length.
Symptoms
Tufts of lawn pulled up or dug up, by birds or wild animals looking for Chafer Grubs to eat.
Patches of lawn above where the grubs underground have been feeding will start to turn yellow.
Adult Chafer Beetles tend not to cause plant problems, feeding on many different plants in the garden, having a nibble as they travel along.
Activity
Diurnal
Personality
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Scarabaeidae
Metamorphosis
Complete
Distribution
Europe and Asia
Biological treatment
Proper lawn maintenance may be beneficial at keeping chafer grub numbers low. General feeding, regular watering, aerating and scarifying are good maintenance practices.
Chafer grubs thrive in dry soil, so regularly watering your lawn to keep the soil moist will help to deter them and will aid the grasses recovery.
Chemical treatment
None available
Attracts
Lawns
Repels
Eaten by birds and wild animals, for example, Crows, Starlings, Chickens, Badgers and Foxes.
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