California root borer

The grown-up beetle lives only 10 to 20 days. It does not eat in all that time.

It flies at night. The female gives off a special smell that the males follow to find her.

A mother can lay up to 200 eggs in the soil right next to the roots.

The grub grows from less than 1 centimetre to almost 8 centimetres long while it chews through roots.

In some places people eat both the grubs and the beetles.