Stag beetles

ENVIRONMENT

“ They will use their three pairs of prolegs in order to tunnel through soil and wood as they grow underground”

The life cycle of a stag beetle

It can take up to six years for the stag beetle to go from egg to adult – this is how it happens

1. Laying the eggs

Once a male and female stag beetle have mated, the female will burrow underground and prepare a nest next to decaying wood. Here she will lay 20 or more eggs.

3. Building strength

The hatched larvae’s diet consists only of the decaying wood around them. They will use their three pairs of prolegs in order to tunnel through soil and wood as they grow underground.

2. Hatching larvae

It can take up to three weeks for the stag beetle’s eggs to hatch. The emerging larvae are blind and will use their sharp jaws to free themselves from the egg.

4. Shedding skin

It can take between four and six years for the larvae to grow up to 80mm (3.1in) in size. To accommodate growth, they will shed their skin up to fi ve times over the years.

6. Adult stag beetle

Between May and August, the adult stag beetles will tunnel up to the surface where they will spend the last few months of their life in search of a mate. The male stag beetle will use its mandibles to attract a female and wrestle other males.

5. Pupa stage

Eventually the larvae’s will skin become brittle in preparation for the pupa stage, where it burrows deep into the soil and creates a cocoon. After six weeks, an adult stag beetle will emerge and remain underground until spring.