Cockchafer tarsus. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the tarsus of a cockchafer beetle, or May bug (Melolontha melolontha). This beetle lays its eggs under the soil, where the larvae spend three to five years feeding on plant roots. They pupate in autumn and overwinter in the soil as adults, before emerging in large numbers in spring. The adults mate and lay eggs, and die after a few weeks. Magnification: x50 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.