The stag beetle is Britain's largest insect and one of the most well-known of all the beetles. The male is easily recognised because of his mouthparts which have evolved into enormous jaws, resembling the antlers on a stag's head.

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Protecting the Stag Beetle

The stag beetle is one of the species chosen by the Government to be included in its Biodiversity Action Plan. This means that it is being given special help to increase its numbers. A stag beetle survey is underway and when its current distribution is known for certain, conservation strategies can be worked out. In some areas, owners of woodland are already leaving a proportion of dead or dying timber to help the animals and plants rely on this. The stag beetle will also benefit from this policy.

You can help too: Build a bug hostel, bury a bucket of woodchip or simply leave any tree stumps in your garden to rot down naturally in a log pile. Occasionally, stag beetle larvae may even be found in compost heaps. The more decaying wood there is around, the more places there are available for the female stag beetle to lay her eggs. By helping in this way, we can all play a part in making sure that the stag beetle has a good chance of a safe future.

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