Stag Beatles

[FP]

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?

[Geekee]

I saw one the other day and talking to friends they have seen loads, and we are in the South.

[FP]

Wow that was speedy Geekee.  I seem to remember hearing that they like oak trees, which we don't have many of here in our part of North Norfolk.  Thanks for your answer.

[Cetti]

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]

I agree.  It is always ambiguous to use common names rather than species names because they vary so much across the country.  FP calls these both'May bugs' and 'stag beetles'  I am not aware of the same beast being called by both names,  I very much suspect that what FP saw were 'May bugs' (aka 'June bugs' & 'Cockchafers' because they are so very much more common.

[acw]

And I thought a june bug was a cocktail - shows what I know!!  I thought I'd seen them at home in the Cotswolds, but now I'm not so sure.  All this detailed info made me realise I may have seen something far more common and un-exciting!

[woofgang]

I have seen stag beetles in the New Forest but not often. The other thing that we have here which I believe is unusual in UK is dung beetles!

[Little Lady]

I dont think i have ever seen one up here in the midlands, thought the stag beetles would crush the other males with their pincers when fighting for a mate but no...they throw them! Don't think i would be too keen on one landing on my sweed while riding along either, i would end up in the nearest bush knowing my luck!

[FP]

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!!

[Cetti]

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:

 http://www.ptes.org/

[FP]

This is another good site:

http://tinyurl.com/cf3y9

And you can apparently adopt a stag beetle for �15.00 per annum!!

Thanks for your replies on this thread everybody.  Your input was very much appreciated.

[Cimbali]

I found one last night upside down on my garden path. It's about 2.5 inches long and has huge "grippers" (I don't know the correct term) on it's front making it about3.5 inches. I don't know if it is a rare species so I have it in a Glass Jar. Any ideas? Should I just let it go?

[FP]

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

Stag-Beetles