Stag Beetle Survey 2011

London Wildlife Trust carried out a city-wide survey in 2011, thanks to funding from the BBC Wildlife Fund, to record sightings of the globally threatened stag beetle. We asked Londoners to let us know if they saw one of these magnificent beetles to help us understand more about their distribution across London and to improve current conservation methods. We also wanted to know about lesser stag beetle sightings across London.

There's lots you can do to help stag beetles, especially if you have access to a garden. Download the stag beetle advice note for guidance on how to build a stag beetle loggery and for some great wildlife gardening tips and advice take a look at our Wildlife Gardening Pack. For our stag beetle conservation advice please download our full advice note.

London is a 'hotspot' for stag beetle and is nationally significant for the population it supports; the capital's stag beetles are vulnerable and need our help. The stag beetle has been recorded in most London boroughs, but like many Londoners is particularly loyal to certain areas and is more common in south and west London where it is found in areas like Beckenham, Dulwich, Wandsworth and Richmond. While it is rarely spotted in central London, probably because there are few appropriate habitats, researchers are puzzled as to why sightings have been so few in north-west and north-east London.

Stag beetles are rapidly declining across Europe, mainly as a result of the destruction of dead wood, and tidying up of parks and greenspaces. The larvae live in dead wood for up to seven years while they are maturing, and may also be inadvertently destroyed in the belief that they are pests. In urban areas traffic, feet, cats and other predators also have a detrimental impact.

How to spot a stag beetle

You are most likely to find a stag beetle near or on dead wood

It's between 5cm and 8cm long
It's got large antler shaped jaws
The male's jaws are very large
The female's jaws are smaller but more powerful
Adults emerge from the soil beneath logs or tree stumps from mid-May til late July
Males emerge are seen flying on sultry summer evenings an hour or two before dusk