Humans are, unfortunately, a direct threat to stag beetles. They can use their feathery tongue to drink from sap runs and fallen soft fruit. Larvae feed on decaying wood under the ground. Adults can’t feed on solid food – they rely on the fat reserves built up whilst developing as a larva. We’re particularly keen for people to record stag beetles in the counties on the border of their known range including Norfolk, Cheshire, Bedfordshire, Somerset, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Shropshire.Īlso please keep a special eye open if you’re visiting the following places: Richmond Park, Wimbledon Common, the New Forest and Epping Forest. They also prefer areas which have the highest average air temperatures and lowest rainfall throughout the year. Stag beetles are relatively widespread in southern England and live in the Severn valley and coastal areas of the southwest. Elsewhere in Britain they are extremely rare or even extinct.įemale stag beetles prefer light soils which are easier to dig down into and lay their eggs. Newly emerging adults also have to dig their way up through the soil to reach the surface, therefore areas like the North and South Downs, which are chalky, have very few stag beetles. Stag beetles live in woodland edges, hedgerows, traditional orchards, parks and gardens throughout Western Europe including Britain – but not Ireland.
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