Greater Stag Beetle
Greater / European Stag Beetle, Lucanus cervus, male
By Simon A. Eugster - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7790887
Ever seen these guys in the garden in the summer? The male has the big jaws. They look pretty fearsome but are not as strong as they look.
Q. Are they are rare? They are…
listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List.
Conservation status
Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
Q. What can we do to encourage them?
The larvae depend on old trees and rotting wood to live in and feed on, and can take up to six years to develop before they pupate and turn into adults.
Lucanus cervus, larva, female
By Mariafremlin - Larva found under a log, soil temperature 7.5 ºC., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79598227
Maybe leave a pile of logs to decay undisturbed in the garden?
