What they need
- Stag beetles require trees and hedges to supply decaying wood for their larvae to feed on.Their favourite is oak but the larvae also eat rotting wood from other broad leaved trees such as hornbeam, cherry and beech. They don’t like coniferous wood such as fir and pine.
- Adults don’t eat, surviving on energy stored when they pupate, but they do drink from tree sap and rotten fruit juice.
What you can do to help
- Leave partially buried piles of logs and deadwood, including tree stumps or log pyramids, to provide suitable habitat for stag beetle larvae to feed on underground.The surrounding soil should be soft enough for the female to dig down through to lay her eggs in the rotting wood below.
- On hot summer days thirsty adults might appreciate leftover fruit to drink from.
- Give weed-suppressant plastic membranes a miss if you can as these prevent adults from tunnelling. Also try to avoid using pesticides as they can harm stag beetles and their larvae.
Fascinating facts
- These majestic creatures are the largest insects in Europe, with males reaching up to 7.5cm long, but despite their fearsome appearance they are completely harmless.
- You’re most likely to see them when the males are flying around looking for mates at dusk between May and late July. Females can fly too but tend to stay close to where they emerged.
- Stag beetles live mostly in South East England, with London being a particular hotspot for them. After years of decline their populations have stabilised here but they continue to fall in Europe, meaning England’s stag beetle populations are internationally significant and valuable.
- Stag beetles have a fascinating life cycle that can last up to seven years, with all but a few months spent living underground as larvae. Larvae pupate in autumn and emerge when the first warm late-spring rains soften the soil so they can tunnel to the surface. Then they mate, lay eggs, and that’s it – their lives are over by August.
Find out more
Natural History Museum information on stag beetles.
