Beetle watch - 2
Whereas the Glowworm is a small nocturnal beetle difficult to see, the Stag Beetle is large and impressive and difficult to miss. The male (pictured) has enlarged antler-like jaws used for battling with rivals for the right to mate with the female. The female does not have any antler-like jaws.
The Stag Beetle is a globally threatened species, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and we are extremely lucky in this area to have many Stag Beetles, none which pose a threat to humans and/or their gardens. This is not the case in the rest of the UK as Stag Beetles are becoming scarce as they depend on a large and undisturbed supply of rotting wood on which their larvae live and feed. In fact the larvae can spend up to five years chewing dead wood until they turn into an adult.
We recently heard that someone had been killing them, believing she had an infestation of them. Please don’t. These wonderful insects are a splendid addition to our fauna, and we should not kill them and push then further down the list of threatened species. Indeed it is illegal to do so.
if you see any locally please email the details for our sightings page.
Find out more about Stag Beetles at The Great Stag Hunt >>>
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