The European chafer (Amphimallon majale; formerly classified as Rhizotrogus majalis[1]) is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.

The large, white grubs of A. majale feed on the roots of most cool-latitude grasses, both wild and cultivated.

Eggs are shiny and oval, milky-white when freshly laid, but later turning dull gray, approximately 2.3 by 2.7 millimetres (3⁄32 in × 7⁄64 in).

The adults come out of the ground in late spring and mate in large swarms, usually on low trees and shrubs.

In early June, the grubs again move deeper, from 5–25 centimetres (2–10 in), to form earthen cells and pupate.

The damage caused by chafer infestation to residential lawns is exacerbated by the fact that its grubs are an attractive food source for local fauna such as crows, skunks and raccoons, who relentlessly dig up the turf in search of the morsels.