The Essex Naturalist
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with this supply now dwindling it is important to maintain the continuity of
deadwood habitat. Such measures would also benefit a wide range of other
saproxylic organisms.
A conservation strategy tor Lucanus cervus should endeavour to:
1. Educate the public, about the value of the stag beetle in scientific and
cultural terms and discourage deliberate destruction of adults, larvae and
their breeding places.
2. Encourage the leaving, wherever practicable, of suitable tree stumps and
roots in situ and discourage pulling and grinding of stumps and over tidiness.
Where trees must be felled for safety reasons, they should be cut into sizeable
pieces and left on site in contact with the ground, or even partially buried.
Pieces of 0.5m diameter and 0.4m thick were effective in attracting egg-
laying females (Owen, 1992) and larger pieces would be even better as
regards durability and to discourage vandalism. It would be worth
experimenting with logs from a variety of tree species. If it is not possible to
leave logs on site then areas should be set aside where they can be placed for
use by stag beetles eg. a corner of a park. Monitoring should be carried out to
find out the best microclimate for deposition of logs, for example in shade.
They should not be burnt or otherwise disposed of.
3. Make land owners, managers and contractors aware of the importance of
dead wood by providing leaflets, seminars etc.
4. Research into the breeding requirements of stag beetles, their predators and
other factors which might influence abundance and distribution.
5. Investigate the long term viability of those small colonies, that perhaps are
based in a single stump or log.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Colchester Borough Council for funding the
survey, Liz Curry, Editor of The Courier for printing the survey form and
additional material, Gary Lebeau for leaflet design, Colin Plant for preparing the
distribution map, members of Colchester Natural History Society and the
Colchester Group of the Essex Wildlife Trust and all those who sent in their
observations.
References
Bowdrey, J.P., 1991. Early stag beetles (Lucanus cervus L.) in Colchester. Entomologist's Record
and Journal of Variation 103: 300.
Clark, J.T. 1964. The stag beetle in north-east Essex. Essex Naturalist 31: 167-172.
- , 1965. The stag beetle in north-east Essex. Second report. Essex Naturalist 31: 267.
- , 1966. The distribution of Lucanus cervus (L.) (Col., Lucanidae) in Britain. Entomologist's
Monthly Magazine 102: 199-204.