The stag beetle is a globally threatened species, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), and listed as a priority species for the UK and London Biodiversity Action Plans.
Its distribution has contracted in the last 40 years, although it is still locally common in a number of ‘hotspots’ such as the New Forest, the Thames Valley, around north-east Essex and London. It is believed that the destruction of its key habitat - dead wood - through the ‘tidying-up’ of woodlands and parks is the prime reason for its decline, although in urban areas the impacts of traffic, feet, cats and other predators will also be significant.
Where are London's stag beetles?
The stag beetle has recently been recorded from most London boroughs, but it appears to be significantly more common in the south and west of London, in areas such as Lewisham, Beckenham, Dulwich, Wandsworth, and Richmond. Rarely found in central London, through lack of appropriate habitats, it is also surprisingly very uncommon or absent in the north-west and parts of north-east London although there are clusters of records in places such as Winchmore Hill and Hornchurch. The reasons for this uneven distribution are the subject of current research.
Why the need for action?
The numbers of stag beetles have declined since the 1940s and their UK distribution has contracted from a large swathe of southern England and Wales. Recent surveys suggest that they are now more restricted to the south-east, with concentrations along the Thames Valley, in north-east Essex/Suffolk, and the New Forest. Perhaps surprisingly London is one such ‘hot-spot’, and is nationally significant for the stag beetle populations it supports.
Their decline has been attributed to a number of factors, the primary one being the reduction of appropriate habitat - dead wood. The tidying up of woodlands, parks and gardens has led to the burning or chipping of dead wood, and stump-grinding of felled trees removes another vital source for the beetle. In urban areas especially, stag beetles also face the assaults of traffic, feet, cats, foxes and other predators which may have an adverse impact at the most vulnerable stage in their life cycle - as adults seeking to mate and lay eggs for the next generation.
Factors contributing to the decline of stag beetle
• Loss of habitat through re-development, agriculture and plantation forestry
• Tidying-up of parks, woodlands and gardens, through the removal of dead wood (by stump-grinding, uprooting, burning, chipping or tipping)
• Lack of awareness of the beetle's presence on sites
• Unintentional crushing on pavements and roads - the beetles appear to be attracted to the warm surfaces that these provide
• High predation pressure on the adults from cat, fox, crow, and magpie, especially in urban areas
• Perceptions as a ‘creepy-crawly’ or potential pest leading to persecution or intentional destruction
Telling us where the beetles are
It is important to hold an up-to-date and accurate assessment of where stag beetles are in London. London Wildlife Trust is maintaining a database of stag beetle records in the capital. This not only helps to ensure that we keep an updated record of their distribution, but will also help us in the research to ascertain why they are present in some parts of London and not others.
Have you seen a stag beetle in London? Let us know! Register with GiGL and tell us about the species you’ve spotted in the capital.
You can also request a survey form from our central office on 020 7261 0447.
For records outside of Greater London please contact the People’s Trust for Endangered Species.
Management for the beetle
Managing your garden for stag beetles is easy, it's more a case of leave alone than doing something special (although in some cases this may be required). It is all to do with providing dead wood. Retention of existing dead wood is ideal, as are measures to inhibit the unnecessary destruction of dead wood during management operations. In addition, creating habitat by installing 'new' dead wood can also be useful. The following parameters should serve as a guide:
• Retain as much dead wood - logs and stumps - as possible on site - the larger the better (which helps prevent burning, vandalism or removal). If possible some of this needs to be in the shade to avoid desiccation.
• Leave windblown trees in place, except where they pose a safety problem.
• Make sure that most of the dead wood is lying on or close to the ground.
• Ensure that a buffer zone is managed around large dead wood so that the soils and vegetation are protected as much as possible from disturbance. Ideally this should not be cut between May and September.
• Avoid stump-grinding tree stumps wherever possible.
• Identify the needs of stag beetle in site management plans, and provide particular prescriptions for management of dead wood.
Habitat creation
• If there is no dead wood on site, seek to provide this by building 'loggeries' or breeding boxes preferably from natural wood (do not use softwoods (conifers) or treated timber). These need to be on woodland edges where some degree of shade can be guaranteed.
Site protection
• Seek to declare Local Nature Reserves on sites that hold significant stag beetle populations.
Gardens
• Retain dead wood or install a loggery at the end of the garden.
• Check the pond or water-butt during the adult flying season (May to July); they often fall in and cannot swim.
• Try and prevent cats (or other predators) from attacking the adults during the flying season.
Find out more
Wildlife information: stag beetle
The great stag beetle hunt...
In your patch
Find out if the stag beetle has been spotted in your area with the fantastic WIMBY tool, run by GiGL – Greenspace Information for Greater London.