cockchafer

Everyday

1. A large brown European beetle, also called a May bug or doodlebug, that flies clumsily on spring evenings and buzzes loudly. tree →
2. Its young, a fat white grub that lives in the soil and eats plant roots. tree →

In the lessons

In science (minibeasts, life cycles) the cockchafer shows complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (grub), pupa, adult beetle; the grubs can live underground for three or four years. In the UK and Europe children see them bumping into lit windows in May. Phrases: «May bug», «cockchafer grub», «cockchafer larvae».

Examples

• A cockchafer bumped against our window in the evening. tree →
• The cockchafer has fan-shaped feelers. tree →
• Its grubs live underground for years eating roots. tree →
• People also call the cockchafer a May bug. tree →
• The cockchafer buzzed loudly and flew in a wobbly line. tree →
• Farmers once thought cockchafers were a pest because the grubs ate crops. tree →
• We drew the life cycle of the cockchafer in science. tree →
• When older, she would take cockchafers and beetles, and stick pins through them. tree →

Note

Said «COCK-chay-fer». «Chafer» is an old word for beetle; «cock» here just means big or male and is not rude. Plural: cockchafers. Although noisy and big, cockchafers do not sting or bite people.