Bug FAQCopper Chafer
Protaetia cuprea · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Source: Wikipedia
Copper chafer, also called the rose chafer, lives across Europe and Asia and adapts to habitats from dense forests to open steppe areas. Adults feed on decaying fruit, flowers and plant debris, while larvae eat rotting wood and plant material, and the beetle usually completes its life cycle in one year. It can harm fruit trees and ornamental plants, and control methods being studied include mass trapping and baited floral traps.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
This beetle is also known as the rose chafer. The subspecies obscura is missing from Germany but occurs in many Central and Eastern European countries.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Insecticide use is limited during flowering and just before harvest to protect bees and avoid health risks.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Mass trapping can be effective if a good trapping system is used. Researchers are developing selective floral attractant-baited traps for this beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in a wide range of habitats, from dense forests to open, dry steppe regions.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae primarily consume rotting wood and plant material.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species normally has a one-year life cycle. Under some conditions it can reach adulthood within the same year the eggs are laid.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Copper chafer is found throughout Europe and Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The subspecies metallica occurs in northern Europe, including Norway, Sweden, northern England and southern Scotland.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I control copper chafer?
Mass trapping with an efficient trap and the use of specially baited floral traps are being studied as control methods.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants does copper chafer damage?
Adults feed on and damage fruit trees and ornamental plants, especially the reproductive parts and ripening fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is copper chafer found?
It is native to Europe and Asia and occurs in many habitats from forests to steppe areas.
Source: Wikipedia
How long does copper chafer live?
Its life cycle usually lasts one year, though it can sometimes reach adulthood within the same year the eggs are laid.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Rose ChaferCetonia aurata
Mediterranean Spotted ChaferOxythyrea funestaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Oriental BeetleExomala orientalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protaetia_cuprea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.