To panic about what the hell this is in my garden? Pic attached

[Helppooo]

what on earth is this? Is it dangerous?

cockchafer

I think my husband has that - you can get a cream for it - only joking 😂😂

We used to get loads when we lived in a village in Lincolnshire. the beetles are harmless enough but their larvae....

Just kidding, the larvae do eat the roots of plants and grass though, so lots of our neighbours very very upset about the state of their lawns. Apparently they live a few years as grubs and once the birds can tell they are there (presumably by the dead patches of grass) they start tearing up the lawn to get at them, so you get double damage.

Our lawn was never exactly perfect anyway but our next door neighbour put netting over their whole lawn!

It’s a common cockshafer!
lovingly referred to as a may bettle

Better a cockchafer than a cocklodger!

Is it heck.

And even if it was it's a non-issue in your garden.

Are you prone to hyperbole in general, or just around creepy crawlies?

So sweet. Send it lovingly on its way

I got dived by one of these a couple of years ago - scared the shit out of me as very loud and large!! Also known as a May bug I think so he's a little early but entirely harmless. Where in the country are you OP?

We’ve always called them may bugs but they’re chafer I believe, used to get loads of them not so much in recent years but I have also moved areas.

Maybug! Please leave it alone, it will move on soon enough. They take years to hatch so whatever you do, please don’t hurt it.

@Hedjwitch And then there is the only beastie which requires specificity, a wee sleekit timourous cowerin beastie, which is only seen on January the 25th.

Aww I love May Bugs. Yours is the first I've seen this year! So sad that so many people don't know much about the natural history all around us.

Yeah, it’s a cockchafer beetle (sounds painful).

They tend to come out at dusk and fly around like directionless idiots (usually towards you). They make quite a noise and are scary but harmless, apparently. Not nice if you get stuck in a room with one - or you notice one emerge from your dashboard while you’re driving 😂

Was watching my son at an outdoor event a few years ago was absolutely mesmerized by a beautiful iridescent green beetle sitting on a piece of wood. Mother nature is wonderful.

Not rtft but it's a cockchafer....aka a June bug. .. very early probably due to warm weather... they don't eat and will die in a few days, spend most of their life as a grub emerging to mate.

@GripGetter that makes sense but my totally immature side wants to snigger at ‘cock chafer’ like I Imagine all those men on bikes get 🤣

So cute!

😂😂😂

Maybug!! Not June!

It’s a cute bug. My DD believes they’ll make a bee-line for your arse-crack, given half a chance. So you’d best sleep in pants, just to be on the safe side.

Aw gorgeous! I think a cockchafer - cute little thing!

A lovely stag beetle

Everyone else says May bug, not June, you should rtfr😁

Check out the larvae. They are gross.

God dag nammit 🙅😎

Fascinating.

These are Maikaefer in German, same as may beetle, and people are sentimental about them. Concerned about declining numbers. You can buy chocoate versions of them (like chocolate ladybugs) around Easter; they're in children's books.

When I was little, every child knew the ditty Maikaefer flieg/dein Vater ist im Krieg/deine Mutter ist in Pommernland, Pommernland ist abgebrannt/Maikaefer flieg.

Translates as fly, maybeetle, your dad's in the war, your mom's in Pomerania, Pomerania has burned down, maybeetle fly.

Supposedly it goes back to the 30-year war, mid-17th century. I found it eerie, but I guess it's part of the reason why everyone knows a may beetle.