• The larvae of cockchafers are called grubs. They feed on rootlets and bark of tap roots. Nursery plants are seriously damaged by grubs.
• Adult cockchafers appear at the end of April or May.

Eggs

• ​laid in the beginning of monsoon (May-June).
• 10-20 cm deep in the soil and lays 60 to 80 eggs.

Larvae

• within 4 to 6 weeks larvae are hatched out called white grubs in July -Sept.
• They are nocturnal, yellow brown or red brown in color.
• Grubs are C shaped having powerful exposed mandible.
• Feed on roots and cause 75 % mortality of seedlings.
• Larvae period lasts from 8-12 months or more.

Pupa

• Pupation in October. It lasts in 10-27 days.

Adult

• Pupa develops in to adult in Nov-Dec 2 months after pupation.

Control of grubs

Mechanical control

• Hand picking
• Use of light and putting in to kerosene water mixture.
• Use of light traps
• Use of nets
• Bating
• Accidental traps

Cultural control

• plowing, harrowing, hoeing, flooding and field traps,
• Sowing of the trap crops such as sorghum-Junelo, maize, onion e.t.c. to reduce white grubs.
• Summer plowing exposes the larvae which may be eaten by birds.
• Use of well decomposed F.Y.M. (Farm Yard Manure)

Chemical control

• Apply insecticide such as Phorate, quinalphos before seed sowing
• Soil drenching with chloropyriphos is effective.

Biological control

• The use of living organisms (and viruses) to suppress the population density or impact of specific pest organisms, making it less abundant or less damaging than it would otherwise be.
• Nematodes are widely used to control chafers
• The use of Heterorhabditis is common.
• Fungus the, insect pathogen Metarhiziumanisopliae and Beauveriabrongniartii are used to kill the insect larvae.
• Viruses like Baculoviridae, Reovirisae, and other 7 family are used.
• Integrated Pest management - combined approaches including microbial pesticide, cultural methods, mechanical and physical methods are well excepted methods.
• Natural enemies – predator (Aves), parasitiodes (Bacillus servus) and pathogen (M. anisoplia) are used.