This beetle does not hold the wing-cases apart when it flies. It tips them only a little. The wide, thin wings come out from beneath them.
The rose beetle is seen most in May and June. You will find it in the garden, about the flowers. Its chief food is honey and flower petals. Its mouth is not horny, but soft and skin-like.
The feelers have ten joints, and wave lightly as the beetle flies. It likes the sunshine. When it flashes about in the light, it looks like a piece of melted gold with green tints on it.
The rose beetle chooses for its home and food the brightest and largest flowers. It digs deep into the hearts of the roses. It sucks the honey and chews the petals.
When the mother rose beetle wishes to lay her eggs, she finds a place at the foot of a tree. She goes down among the roots, where the wood is old and soft. Then she puts her eggs between the bark and the wood.
Sometimes she changes her whole plan, and puts her eggs into an ant’s nest! The ants do not seem vexed at this.
The larva of the rose beetle is a fat, round, white thing, like a thick worm. The head is round, and of a pale brown color. The thin skin has hairs on it.
These larvæ move very slowly, and always rest upon one side. They have strong jaws, and their feelers have five joints. A number of them live together. They are dull and lazy, and always eating. They eat leaves and soft wood.
While the weather is warm, the larvæ keep near the top of the soil. When it is cold, they dig down, even one or two feet, and lie asleep until spring comes again.