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This week we have noticed these beetles on the front lawn they are about a quarter of an inch with blackish green hard bodies and wings and just hover above the grass neighbours have them as well ,one of my sons who lives bas ford hall estate has them too anyone have any ideas to what they are,please don't ask me to catch one .

 

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I will have to check the colour etc with my Brother.  But.. he has had his lawn virtually destroyed by some sort of beetle which has larvae which eat the roots.  I believe they are more of a problem in areas of sandy soil (  I.E. Nottm) and in warm dry weather.  Apparently they have been causing a lot of damage in recent years.  I'll get back to you.

 

...a bit later... 

 

Just spoke to my brother and I think this is likely your problem..

As it ay the beetles themselves don't do any harm but they mate and lay eggs in the grass which then hatch into grubs whiche eat rthe grass roots.  You used to be able to buy something made by Provado' which killed them but sadly just like everything else that works it has been banned.

My brother says he has been known to attack the beetles with ordinary fly spray which at least should keep down the numbers a bit and prevent them laying eggs.  Otherwise I think it's a case of trying to manage the problem as advised in the link below and repairing as necessary.

 

http://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/topic/pests-diseases/chafer-grubs

 

 

Col

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I've had similar beetles over the last two or three summers, and fortunately, the blackbirds and starlings snaffle them up. 

Any I see, I stamp on the little bu66ers ! I can never for the life of me understand people who want to preserve every living thing under the sun, even though they may be destructive pests.

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Sounds like the common cockchafer beetle also known as the May bug.

 

It could mean trouble for your lawn, the female will lay her eggs under ground 50 to 100mm. When they develop into white grubs they will eat the roots of the grass killing it and it could be 3 to 4 years before they pupate into adults. However there is a chemical solution for grass expensive but it works and is much better than a brown patch of earth.

 

Veggies are a different matter I know of no spray that you can use safely, last year I lost my bowl of mint to them.

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Thanks all,I googled cockchafer and they don't look a bit like them,going to try and take a picture of one.:wacko: Sorry but I stamp on the little bu66ers too.

 

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Yes, a couple of weeks hopefully.

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Cockchafer is not the same as the Garden Chafer

 

Cockchafer is much bigger.. maybe an inch or more.  We used to get them round our 'Campfires' as kids.. at dusk... on the fields opposite Southglade Rd and called them 'Buzzbombs'.   More like a large quiet bee.  never stung or bit.. but were just hovering about, maybe attracted to the fire.  We used to 'bat' them away with bits of wood.  Much rarer now I believe and i've not seen one since a child. I'm pretty sure that whaqt you have are Garden Chafers.  As I said above.. the Beetles themselves are harmless but lay eggs which become larvae later in the year and eat the roots of grass.

 

All explained very clearly here: 

 

https://www.environmentalscience.bayer.co.uk/-/media/PRFUnitedKingdom/Marketing material/Chafer_Grub_Biology_and_Effective_Control_WEB.ashx

 

Col

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Thats very interesting article ,there doesn't seem to be so many today.Thanks for taking the time to find and post that item.

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