Stag beetle counters needed in Cambridgeshire this summer
Creating log piles and recording sightings of adult stag beetles (or larvae), are just two ways you can help endangered stag beetles – Britain’s largest land beetle – this summer.
Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) has been recording stag beetle sightings for two decades. You can report any stag beetle sightings to PTES at www.ptes.org/gsh. Now PTES is calling for anyone who lives in a known stag beetle area and that includes Cambridgeshire, to carry out a more in depth survey as part of an ongoing study - the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network – to build on the 21 years of records PTES has already collected for this species.
Taking part in this European study couldn’t be easier – all volunteers need to do is walk 500 meters, on six occasions between June and July on warm, summer evenings, recording any stag beetles they see. Families, individuals, or groups of friends can all help - whether you’re on your evening dog walk or walking to your local pub! To find out more, visit: www.stagbeetlemonitoring.org
The European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network is co-funded by PTES, and was set up by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest in 2008. It comprises partner institutes and universities from 14 European countries including the UK, Spain, France and Germany. The network aims to assess population levels across Europe, monitoring the stag beetle’s full range.
Laura Bower, conservation officer at PTES explains: “We have been running the Great Stag Hunt, and other conservation initiatives for stag beetles, for over 20 years. Thanks to the thousands of people who have recorded their stag beetle sightings over the years, we now have a really good idea of where stag beetles live, but what we don’t yet know is whether their numbers are going up or down. Now, we want people to go one step further and take part in this European study too, so we can understand how stag beetles are faring on a wider scale.”
Stag beetles are the UK’s largest land beetle: males can each up to 8cm in length. Despite their appearance, with their large antler-like jaws, they are harmless, with adults only living for a few weeks during the summer to find a mate. The life cycle of a stag beetle lasts for several years, but their numbers are declining due to the lack of rotting (or dead) wood, which is needed for adults to lay their eggs near and for their young to feed on.
To combat this habitat loss, PTES is also keen for those with gardens to help by making simple, stag beetle friendly changes, making gardens across the UK stag beetle havens including building a log pile and leaving dead wood such as tree stumps in the garden as these are ideal places for stag beetles to live.
Visit www.ptes.org/stagbeetles to find out more, including how to build a log pile or pyramid, ID guides so you know a stag when you see one, and to record your sightings. Visit www.stagbeetlemonitoring.org to take part in the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network survey.
