you only ever see maybugs in may, hence the name.... so where are they for the rest of the year?? are they eating steroids cause they are bloody huge!! where do they come from and why do they decide to attack us every may??
2007-05-22 11:21:38 · 9 answers · asked by KlusaKlus 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
The cockchafer (or may bug)
Adults appear at the end of April or in May and live only for about five to seven weeks. After about two weeks, the female begins laying eggs, which she buries about 10 to 20 cm deep in the earth. She may do this several times until she has laid between 60 and 80 eggs. The common cockchafer lays its eggs in fields, whereas the Forest Cockchafer stays in the vicinity of the trees. The preferred food for adults are oak leaves, but they will also feed on conifer needles.
The larvae, known as "white grubs" or "chafer grubs", hatch after some four to six weeks. They feed on plant roots, for instance potato roots. The grubs develop in the earth for some three to four years, in colder climates even five years, and grow continually to a size of about 4–5 cm, before they pupate in early autumn and develop into a cockchafer in some six weeks.
The cockchafer overwinters in the earth at depths between 20 and 100 cm and work their way to the surface only in spring.
Because of their long development time as larvae, cockchafers appear in a cycle of every three or four years; the years vary from region to region. There is a larger cycle of some 30 years superimposed, in which they occur (or rather, used to occur) in unusually high numbers.
2007-05-22 11:23:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The rest of the year, maybugs are under the ground.
2007-05-22 11:24:31 · answer #2 · answered by khorat k 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybugs (or Mayflys) are primarily aquatic insect who morph to a terrestrial flying form ONLY as adults to mate for a short period of time.
Before then, they live in creeks, rivers, lakes, wetlands depending on the species.
2007-05-22 11:26:59 · answer #3 · answered by Sean B 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because there a month of May, every year
2007-05-22 11:24:51 · answer #4 · answered by trouble_906 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The adult form is visible only in May, but its other stages - egg, larvae and pupae, live unseen for the rest of the year.
2007-05-22 11:25:42 · answer #5 · answered by Barb Outhere 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They don't only live in May, they live for a month but their progeny live on, and during the months they are not seen they lie dormant underground.
2007-05-22 20:28:38 · answer #6 · answered by chillipope 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How do they Know its May?
2007-05-22 11:24:08 · answer #7 · answered by motomarco9999 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they must reprouduce, then die so ther babies r flying around
2007-05-22 13:46:21 · answer #8 · answered by ○•Picasso•○ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hey they hibrinate...
2007-05-22 11:25:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋