Rose chafer larvae

Beetle grubs may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m always amazed by them. I was emptying out one of the large plastic flower pots in the garden and found ten large larvae of the rose chafer (Cetonia aurata).

We often get a few adults of this large and attractive beetle in the garden each year. They are particularly fond of the blossom on the rowan tree.

I moved all the larvae to a safe location in the “beetle bucket” (a bucket containing a mixture of wood chips and compost) at the bottom of the garden.