Two black-and-yellow garden fruit chafer beetles on wood. — Photo: Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden Fruit Chafer

Pachnoda sinuata

A brown-and-yellow African scarab beetle that eats fruit and flowers and whose grubs help build soil.

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About the Garden Fruit Chafer

Garden fruit chafers live in orchards and gardens of Namibia and South Africa. They are active during the day and eat mainly fruit and flowers. They are scarab beetles, part of a family with more than 30,000 named species.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Pachnoda sinuata^[1]
Diet: Herbivore. Mainly fruit and flowers.^[1]
Habitat: Orchards and gardens.^[1]
Where it lives: Namibia and South Africa.^[1]
Group life: Active during the day.^[1]
Babies: Eggs laid in manure or compost.^[1]
Conservation status: Not evaluated by the IUCN.^[1]

Fun facts

The scarab family has more than 30,000 named species.^[1]
Fruit chafer grubs are a favorite food of hadada ibises.^[1]

Vocabulary

scarab: A large family of stout beetles.
larva: The young stage of an insect that looks different from the adult (plural: larvae).
compost: Rotting plant material that becomes rich soil.
insect: A small animal with six legs and a body in three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.
diurnal: Active mainly during the day.

See it in person

Oakland ZooOakland, California · House of BugsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Oakland Zoo. “Garden Fruit Chafer.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/garden-fruit-chafer/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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