Tropinota hirta
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Tropinota hirta, also known as the "apple blossom beetle" or "hairy rose beetle", is a species of beetle in the Scarabaeidae family, native to the Old World. It is not found in North or South America. Common from April onwards on flowering plants, whose parts it feeds on, this polyphagous rose chafer causes serious damage to crops and ornamental flowers.
The larvae live in the soil and feed on roots (often dead ones) without causing significant damage. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Apple Blossom Beetle sighting in Prague on a given day, based on 106 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 61st most-seen of the 724 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Apple Blossom Beetle in Prague on a given day, against under 5% in June to February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Apple Blossom Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 12
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Apple Blossom Beetle sightings, Prague ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Antalya (Turkey, about 20%), Izmir (Turkey, about 20%) and Budapest (Hungary, about 10%).
Same family: Scarabaeidae
The closest relatives of the Apple Blossom Beetle that you can see in Prague (family Scarabaeidae, Scarabs) are European Rose Chafer (about 20%), Mediterranean Spotted Chafer (about 20%) and Valgus hemipterus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Apple Blossom Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Prague (106 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
