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EFC Centre at Wat Tyler Country ParkOur centre is available for visits on a pre-booked basis on Wednesdays between 10am - 4pm. The Club’s activities and displays are also usually open to the public on the first Saturday of the month 11am - 4pm.

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Stag Beetle survey

Lucanus cervus Copyright: Peter Harvey
© Peter Harvey
The Stag Beetle is an Essex Biodiversity Plan species. It is the largest beetle found in the British Isles and males have huge jaws. The head and thorax are black with chestnut brown wing cases. Females are smaller and do not possess the large jaws, but are still much larger than the Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus.

Stag Beetles breed in rotting and decaying wood and the larvae can take up to four years to mature. The species is widespread in Southern England and in Essex there are two distinct population centres in N.E. Essex and S.W. Essex. As well as semi-natural habitats it is found in urban gardens and parklands.

You are likely to see Stag Beetles on warm summer evenings between May and August, but with a peak in June. You can help by sending in records of all Stag Beetle sightings.

Save your records

Species account (only records from this survey)