A new home for Stag Beetles - 12 April 2021
A Stag Beetle loggery has been created in the park earlier this month. Stag Beetles are Britain’s largest terrestrial beetle, with males growing to 7cm and females to 5cm. The males have very large deer antler looking mandibles (jaws), hence the common name. The antlers are used for territorial fighting between males. Females do not have such large mouthparts but theirs are more powerful. Their eggs are laid underground by logs and stumps of dead trees, and the larva (or grub) will spend 4-7 years inside slowly growing in size. The larvae are an important decay agent, helping to return the minerals of dead plant material to the soil.
For further information about Stag Beetles, view the London Wildlife Trust advice note.
