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How to identify it
- Adults are slender beetles about 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, pale green to yellowish tan, with long, spiny, reddish-brown to orange legs.[1][2][3]
- They are covered in short yellow hairs that wear off with age, so older beetles look darker.[2]
- The antennae end in a set of flat, plate-like segments, and in flight the beetle can look like a wasp.[1]
- Larvae are C-shaped white grubs with brown heads and legs, about 3/4 inch long when grown, and are rarely seen.[1][2]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Japanese beetle | People often mistake rose chafers for Japanese beetles, but rose chafers are mostly tan with long spiny legs and emerge a few weeks earlier.[3] |
| Other white grubs | Rose chafer grubs look like other C-shaped white grubs but, unlike several of them, are not usually lawn pests.[2][1] |
Where it lives
Native to the eastern United States and found west into Colorado; populations are highest where soils are sandy.[2][1][3]
Biology and life cycle
Adults come out of the ground in late May and early June in the North and feed for three to six weeks.[1][2][3]
Females lay groups of 6 to 40 eggs about 6 inches deep in sandy or grassy soil, then die soon after.[2][1]
Grubs hatch in one to three weeks, feed on the roots of grasses and weeds, overwinter below the frost line and pupate in spring.[2][1]
There is one generation a year, and adults are strong fliers, so new beetles can arrive from surrounding areas.[1][3][2]
Damage and signs
- Adults chew large, ragged holes in flower blossoms, especially roses, peonies and pale or white flowers, and shred the petals.[1][2]
- They skeletonize leaves, eating the tissue between the larger veins, on rose, grape, apple, cherry, birch, elm and other plants.[1][2]
- They also feed on fruits such as grape, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and cherry, and on some vegetables like beans and peppers.[1][2][3]
- The grubs feed on grass and weed roots but don't damage home lawns or landscape plants.[1][3]
Health risk
Rose chafers don't harm people, but they contain a toxin that acts on the heart and can be deadly to chickens, other birds and small animals that eat them.[3][1][2]
Control
Prevention
Start checking plants in late May if rose chafers have been a problem before, and bag individual show flowers to protect them.[1][3]
Keep them out
Cover plants with cheesecloth or floating row cover when the beetles become active and remove it after they finish feeding, which is usually after June.[1][2]
A temporary cheesecloth fence slightly taller than the plants can deter them, since the beetles seem not to fly over it.[2]
Traps and physical control
When numbers are small, handpick the beetles and drop them into a bucket of soapy water; check often because new beetles fly in.[1][2][3]
Pesticides
If large numbers are present, a garden insecticide labeled for the plant may be needed, sometimes more than once; active ingredients UMN lists include carbaryl, permethrin, bifenthrin and cyfluthrin.[1][2]
Common questions
- Can I feed rose chafers to my chickens?
- No. Virginia Tech advises against feeding them to chickens or other birds because the adults contain toxins that can be deadly to birds.[2][1]
- Will rose chafer grubs ruin my lawn?
- No. The grubs feed on the roots of grasses and weeds but don't damage home lawns or landscape plants.[1][3]
- Why are my roses and peonies full of tan beetles in June?
- Rose chafers emerge in late spring and feed heavily on rose and peony blossoms for a few weeks, especially on sandy sites.[1]
Sources
- University of Minnesota Extension, “Rose Chafers (reviewed 2026).” extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/yard-and-garden-insects/rose-chafers (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, “Rose Chafer, Publication 3104-1564 (ENTO-666NP), September 2026.” www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/3104/3104-1564/3104-1564.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension, “Rose Chafers (Home and Garden IPM, Frequent Specimens).” extension.umaine.edu/home-and-garden-ipm/frequent-specimens/frequent-rose-chafers/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- iNaturalist, “Macrodactylus subspinosus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/130504 (accessed 2026-10-06)