Avid gardeners who painstakingly ensure every blade of grass is neatly trimmed could be in for a shock if a Cambridge college's experience is anything to go by. Their prized lush green lawn was left destroyed when a group of cockchafer beetles made their home there and ate their way through the grass's roots.

And experts have warned that this may not be an isolated experience with the combination of increased regulation of pesticides and warmer weather.

Where?:  Cockchafers (also known as may bugs or spang beetles) are native to Europe and were once a major pest in throughout the continent.

Bites: If you're green and perfectly mown, you'd better watch out – but for us mere humans, we're safe from the menaces' naughty nashers.

Protection: There are no chemical pesticides approved for use against cockchafers at present, only biological measures are utilised for control, such pathogenic fungi or nematodes are applied to the soil to kill the grubs.

Worst-case scenario: As the climate gets warmer, the numbers are continuing to rise.  Every green site could see them eating their way through leaving Britain with brown patches or torn up turf all over the land.

Danger rating: 2/10 Although bothersome, cockchafers are not hazardous to humans and the likelihood of them destroying all our greenery is extremely slim in reality.