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Photo: Images of Dorset
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UK
Safari Tip:
Hot spots for the Stag Beetle are Dorset, Surrey, Greater London (especially Bromley, Croydon and Lewisham), Essex,
Kent, Berkshire, Bucks, Hampshire, Herts, Suffolk, West Sussex and
Oxfordshire.
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Latin name: Lucanus cervus
Size: The male grows to about 90mm in length, including the antlers, and the female grows to approximately
60mm.
Distribution: Rare. Mostly found in south and south east of England.
Months seen: May to August.
Habitat: Woodlands and gardens.
Food: Tree sap. The larvae eat rotting wood.
Special features: This is the largest beetle found in Britain, and now sadly, quite rare.
 The most noticeable feature of the male are the large antler-like jaws, which give the beetle its
name.
They are used during the mating season to fight with other males over territory. Each male tries to grab his opponent between his jaws, and then throw him.
The fully grown male stag beetles can normally be seen flying at dusk between May and August. The warmer temperatures at this time of year encourage them to look for a mate. They will drink tree sap, but do not eat, and will not grow at all. After mating the stag beetle dies.
The females can be recognised by the much smaller jaws. Although both the male and female beetles can give you a pinch, they are quite harmless. Females lay their eggs in, or near, rotten wood, and then die.
The larvae, or grubs, which hatch from the eggs, have cream coloured bodies with an orange head and legs. They live and feed in the rotting wood for up to six years. When fully grown, the larvae leave the wood to pupate in the soil.
 This occurs in the summer, while the weather is still warm, and lasts a few weeks. The fully grown beetle remains in the cocoon until the following summer when it emerges as an adult beetle.
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UK Safari Beetle Section
UK Safari Creepy-Crawlies Section
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