9th February 2006

Buckets for Beetles

Snaky Lane Community Wildlife Group were out in force on Sunday 5th February burying buckets to provide homes for Stag Beetles.  “It’s a great project”, said Sue Dent of Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership, “Stag Beetles are very impressive and getting increasingly rare, but we know they are in the area and this is such a simple way of helping them.” 

The buckets, filled with woodchip mixed with soil, have plenty of big holes in the sides and provide places for the female Stag Beetles to lay their eggs and for the larvae to develop safely, which can take from three to five years. The buckets will be checked in 2007 to see how many larvae are there. “This simple idea is a great way of providing homes for these beetles and then monitoring how they are getting on,” continued Sue. The project is part of the Bury Buckets 4 Beetles (BB4B) campaign being run by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species.

As well as burying buckets Snaky Lane Community Wildlife Group also installed a ‘rustic’ bench overlooking the site’s pond. Keith Boulnois, who leads the working parties, said, “We’ve deliberately put the bench where it catches the sun so people take the chance to rest a while and enjoy the views over the pond. The frame of the bench is made of willow so we are hoping that it will grow and become a living bench by this time next year.  We’ll be watching it carefully over the summer.”

Snaky Lane Community Wildlife Group meet on the first Sunday of the month and their next meeting is on Sunday 5th March. For further details contact Sue at BVCP on 01252 331353.

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For more information contact:
Christine Reeves, Visitor Promotions Officer on 01252 331353.

Some facts about Stag Beetles

• Stag Beetles are the largest insect found in Britain.
• They get their name because the male’s huge jaws look just like stag’s antlers.
• Males can be up to 70mm (2.5 in) long
• Females are smaller and do not have antlers.
• Both sexes have a shiny black head and thorax with chestnut brown wing cases

Notes

• Snaky Lane is a seven-acre site bordered by Stratford Road and Meadow Close in Ash Vale. It currently includes grassland, hedges, trees and a pond and is managed by the Snaky Lane Community Wildlife Group with support from Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership. More details
• The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership (BVCP), was established in the early 1980s and is funded by the County, District and Parish Councils along the River Blackwater. It works to promote community action in conservation and recreation and to protect the Valley for the enjoyment and well being of the whole community.
• Details and a leaflet about the Bury Buckets 4 Beetles project are available from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4BG. Tel: 020 7498 4533.  Visit their website