# Pine Chafer (*Polyphylla fullo*) The Pine Chafer is a shiny beetle that loves to munch on pine trees. It has a beautiful greenish-brown color and can be found in forests during the summer. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Pine Chafer](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Polyphylla_fullo.jpg&width=800) Photo: Francesco Bellamoli, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polyphylla_fullo.jpg) ## Appearance The Pine Chafer is a large, robust beetle, typically dark brown or black with striking, irregular patches of white or yellowish scales, giving it a mottled appearance. These fuzzy white markings help it blend seamlessly with the bark of pine trees, making it unique among European chafers. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Coleoptera - **Family:** Scarabaeidae - **Genus:** Polyphylla ## Interesting facts - Despite their size, Pine Chafers are excellent flyers that buzz loudly when aloft! - Look closely, their brown bodies are covered in thousands of tiny white scales! - Their grubs spend several years eating roots underground before changing into beetles! - These large beetles are often attracted to bright lights on warm summer nights! ## Special abilities - **Bark Camouflage:** Pine Chafer has a mottled pattern of white scales that helps them blend perfectly with pine bark, making them super hard to spot. - **Strong Diggers:** Pine Chafer larvae have powerful legs that help them tunnel through soil, efficiently finding tasty roots to munch on. - **Super Sniffers:** Male Pine Chafers have large, fan-like antennae that help them detect female pheromones from a long distance. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 50-70 mm - **Size:** 25-36 mm - **Lifespan:** 30-60 days - **Flight Speed:** 8 km/h - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding Pine Chafer grubs eat roots underground, while adults munch on pine needles. - **Age differences:** Larvae feed on roots underground for 2-3 years, while adults primarily consume pine needles for reproduction. - **Primary Foods:** pine roots, conifer roots, pine needles, conifer needles - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** [Scots Pine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/scots-pine) (*Pinus sylvestris*) — Larvae eat roots; adults eat needles. - **Eaten by:** [Tawny Owl](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tawny-owl) (*Strix aluco*) — Adults are food for nocturnal hunters. - **Eaten by:** [European Badger](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-badger) (*Meles meles*) — Grubs are dug up and eaten by badgers. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Camouflaged](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/camouflaged): Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Be gentle and watch where you step in the forest to protect tiny creatures like the Pine Chafer. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Pine Chafer? Look for hard wing covers meeting in a line down the back, then compare the antennae, body shape, legs and markings. Metallic colors shift a lot with lighting. Beetle Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Pine Chafer's wingspan? 50-70 mm ### How big is Pine Chafer? 25-36 mm ### How long does Pine Chafer live? 30-60 days ### How fast can Pine Chafer fly? 8 km/h ### What does Pine Chafer eat? Pine Chafer grubs eat roots underground, while adults munch on pine needles. ### Where is Pine Chafer usually found? Forests ### How does Pine Chafer hunt? Foraging ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Pine Chafer: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pine-chafer)