Sunday Express Skeleton 3Rd November
Crosswords1 min ago
Chillums question below made me think of Stag Beatles, which I believe are also called May Bugs. When I was young and lived in Wimbledon which had hardwood tree lined roads, we used to have to walk in the centre of the road to avoid Stag Beatles that seemed to fall out of the trees. I have never seen Stag Beatles in our area of Norfolk (and don't particularly want to). Are they still as prolific as they were in the south of England or in any other areas?
No best answer has yet been selected by FP. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Hi FP! Stag Beetles are enormous, the largest in the UK and the rarest. In fact I've only ever seen one in the whole of my life and I've lived mostly in the rural areas of southern Dorset. One hit me on the forehead when I was cycling home from school - and it hurt! (shows you how long ago that was;-))
Looking at these links will show how different they look to Cockchafers or May Bugs. The males are very big boys with huge antlers and measure about 40mm in length, 20 mm longer than the May Bug, but you're right about them preferring woodland oaks and birch trees. I believe they might now be so rare that you need to report any sightings to the 'Bug People' . The correct word escapes me at the moment - had a rather powerful red wine.......
http://www.uksafari.com/stagbeetles.htm
http://www.imagesofdorset.org.uk/StagB/stagover.htm#pictures
gen2 Definitely Stag Beetles. My mum called them May Bugs so that's what I did. I am going back to the 50's when they used to be so prolific in Wimbledon so it may be that they are now a rare breed. They were absolutely huge and terrified me!
I have now looked them up on a Web Site which says they are a protected and rare species in the UK and are found in Richmond Park which would indicate that this is why they were so prolific in Wimbledon.
As I said before, they used to literally fall out of the trees onto the pavements.
Sorry about my spelling - Stag Beatles!!! When I googled I got John Paul George and Ringo, no wonder I couldn't find information on the net yesterday!!
I'm glad that's been sorted FP - if only they were as prolific now.
They are now on the 'endangered' list and in this months Birdwatching magazine there is a large article asking anyone interested in helping to recreate their breeding ground to bury a bucket (it's true!) in their gardens - and hopefully encourage them back. This website gives the details:
Hi Cimbali. That's really interesting. What area of the country do you live in?
Personally, I would let it go in a safe place near to you, away from humans and dogs etc. (Perhaps in a hedgerow) Also the link below gives you an email address to contact. I am sure they will be pleased to know where you found it. Yes they are endangered.
Thanks for your reply
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