European / Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
The workers gather the nectar for the production of honey. On average, a 450g jar of honey requires 1152 bees to travel 180,246km and visit 4-5 million flowers. That's 156km per bee!
The Honeybee is the only species of bee that dies after stinging. Its sting gets trapped in its victim and is ripped out of the bee as it attempts to flee. The Honeybee's sting is attached to other internal organs and the removal of the sting causes the Honeybee severe internal damage. However the queens do not have barbed stings and are therefore able to sting repeatedly if necessary.
Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)
The Stag Beetle is largest terrestrial beetle in the UK but sadly their numbers are in decline. Their status is classified as 'Nationally Scarce". Males can be found up to an impressive size of 75mm and very occasionally even 90mm, although 45-60mm is more usual. These beetles are instantly recognisable due to their size. They are uniformly black in colour with chestnut coloured wing-cases. Females can sometimes have maroon coloured wing-cases. The only species that the females are sometimes confused with is the much smaller Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus parallelipedus) which grows to a maximum length of around 30mm. The larvae of the Stag Beetle is a creamy-white colour with a light brown head and also grows to an impressive length of up to 80mm.
Stag Beetles spend most of their lives living underground as a larvae. This can be for as long as six years feeding primarily from rotting wood from decaying trees and bushes. Stag Beetles usually emerge as an adult beetle around June. Their lives as an adult beetle are short and most live for just six weeks or less. From the moment they emerge their sole purpose is to find a partner to mate with.
Like many of our wildlife species the Stag Beetle is thought to be in rapid decline and is now a protected species. It is commonly believed that the main reason for this decline comes from loss of habitat. This is largely due to over managing sites and the 'tidying-up' of dead wood and rotting trees that provide food and home for these magnificent creatures during the larva stage. Another possible reason for their decline is a recent increase in the umber of Magpies and Crows, which both prey on adult Stag Beetles. Domestic cats are also responsible for a huge number of Stag Beetle fatalities.
Male Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)
It has often been thought that Stag Beetles eat very little or do not feed at all once in the adult beetle form. In studies Stag Beetles have been observed eating over-ripe fruit, nectar and tree sap that can be drunk rather than eaten. Research has shown that Stag Beetles are attracted to ginger. It has also been observed in the wild that Stag Beetles may on rare occasion feed on snails. One has been filmed lifting up a snail and repeatedly smashing it against the ground. The Stag Beetle was then observed to drink up or eat the liquids that ran from the broken snail shell.
Male Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) at dusk.
Stag beetles usually hide themselves away during the daytime and are usually only seen flying at dusk once the sun has set. The best time to see them in flight is on warm, humid evenings during late May - July from 9pm - 10:30pm. They are clumsy fliers and are usually only seen flying if the conditions are right. Their distinctive silhouette, slow and clumsy flight, and large size makes them easily distinguishable from anything else. It is believed that male Stag Beetles will fly up to 500m looking for a mate. Females tend to fly close to their egg-laying site in the hope of attracting the males attention, and don't often fly more than 20m from that site. Females also release pheromones to attract the males. When Stag Beetles pair up they remain embraced together through the night and well into the next day. Mating can last for up to 24hrs. The male will often guard the female until after she has deposited her eggs in rotting wood.
Male Stag Beetle, found in SE London 15th June 2021
How can you help Stag Beetles? Because Stag Beetle larvae feed entirely on rotting wood, the best way to help them is to provide a log pyramid in your garden with the bottom of the logs buried 50cm beneath the soil. The PTES has provided information and tips on this page: Helping Stag Beetles
Or you can download their excellent help-sheet here: Helping Stag Beetles pdf.
Male Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)
There are many old myths and folk-stories that surround Stag Beetles. Stag Beetles have also been known as billywitches, oak-ox, thunder-beetles and horse-pinchers.
Because Stag Beetles are often seen in warm, humid, and stormy conditions, in British folklore Stag Beetles were feared as it was believed that they had the power to summon thunder and lightning storms. It was also once believed that Stag Beetles flew around with hot coals in their jaws setting fire to buildings!
In Germany the Stag Beetle was associated with Thor, the 'god of thunder' and there was a myth that if you placed a stag beetle on your head, it could protect you from being struck by lightening !
The female Stag Beetle is similar size in size to the male but lacks the large mandibles. They also have a smaller, slimmer head.
REPORT YOUR STAG BEETLE SIGHTINGS
Due to the increasing rarity of Stag Beetles in the UK, the PTES are asking for all Stag Beetle sightings to be recorded using one of these links LINK LINK2
It is also believed that Stag Beetles don't seem to be reaching the same size that they once grew to.
When submitting your sightings it would be helpful to measure your Stag Beetle's total body-length and submit that with your records.
Female Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)
Female Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)
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Female Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus parallelopipedus)
Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus parallelopipedus)
The Lesser Stag Beetle looks quite similar to a female Stag Beetle at first glance although they are considerably smaller in size reaching a maximum length of around 32mm with 25mm being the usual. There also flatter and blacker than the larger Stag Beetle. Another way that the two species can be separated is by looking at the number of spikes on the middle of the 3 legs on the tibia – Stag Beetles have 3 spikes but the Lesser Stag Beetle has just 1 spike.
Both species are found in similar environments of woodland and gardens with large trees and both species also feed off decaying wood and plant matter in larvae form. The female (pictured above) and male Lesser Stag Beetles are also similar in appearance. The male does have slightly larger mandibles which are set further apart than the female's. The male also has a broader head.
Female Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus parallelopipedus)
The Lesser Stag Beetle lives for over a year unlike the larger Stag Beetle which lives for just a few weeks.
Damselfly
In Great Britain and Ireland there are about 20 species of damselfly commonly found.
The Garden Snail
The Garden snail is found all over the UK. They have a taste for green plants and are considered as garden pests by most gardeners. Garden snails are hermaphrodites which means that they are equipped with both male and female reproductive organs. Although they are cable of mating with themselves they usually mate with a partner. In periods of very little or no rain the snail can seal the entrance of their shell with a crusty mucus and go into a state of suspended animation until the rain returns. This state can be maintained for several months if necessary.
Ladybirds
The Ladybird is a great friend to the gardener. They are carnivorous and feed on greenfly, small catapillars, mites and various other garden pests. There are 42 different species of Ladybird here in the UK. The most common is the seven-spot Ladybird.
The Ladybird starts life as part of an egg cluster fixed to a leaf. The black larva hatches just 3-4 days after the eggs are laid. The larva usually turns into an adult Ladybird within 3-4 weeks. A single Ladybird may consume as many as 4000 aphids during its lifespan.
Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis)
The press even warned us: "Poisonous ladybirds will bite humans"
Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)
The Rosemary beetle is small, but very beautiful beetle, originally from Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, that has been recorded in SE England since 1994. It has now spread across much of SE England and is considered to be an invasive garden pest, in both larvae and adult form, that feeds on the foliage and flowers of various aromatic plants including: rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme and some other related plants. The larvae, which can be found throughout winter, are white / grey with five dorsal stripes that run the length of the body, and grow to a length of 5-8mm. Adults grow to 6-8mm and are beautiful metallic green with several purple / orange stripes that run the length of its body, and can be found throughout spring, summer and autumn.
Black Weevil (Liparus coronatus)
Weevils are a large group of small beetles from the Curculionoidea family, which has around 50,000 species! This Weevil above is believed to be the Black Weevil (Liparus coronatus). A weevil often found around cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). Larvae feed on the roots, while adults usually occur at the base of plants. This species is more commonly found in the southern half of Britain. Weevils can be very plant specific and some will only feed on one type of plant. In some countries Weevils are considered a pest and have to be exterminated. Some of these nuisance species feed on grain, or rice, both in the field and in storage by farmers.
Male Hornet Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis)
Hornet Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis)
These ugly-looking beasts are Britain's largest true fly at over an inch in length and are now very rare in the UK. Despite their scary appearance that resembles a hornet, they are completely harmless to humans. Their Latin name actually means "hornet-form". The Hornet Robberfly sits perched on vegetation waiting to spot movement from above or below. They will readily feed on beetles and grasshoppers that catch their eye below, as well as launching themselves into the air to catch flying wasps, flies, and other flying insects. They quickly grab hold of their prey with their long powerful legs and proceed to stab the soft body parts of their prey with their piercing mouth-parts. The Hornet Robberfly quickly lands and uses its piercing mouth-parts to inject saliva containing both nerve toxins that paralyse the victim and enzymes that start to dissolve the victim's insides so they can be drunk. The Hornet Robberfly is also cannibalistic and will feed on its own if necessary.
Female Hornet Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis)
One major threat to Hornet Robberflies is the use of insecticides. In particular Avermectins, which are used for worming cattle, also unfortunately kill off the dung beetles the Robberfly larvae prey on.
Need help identifying an insect found in the UK?
email the Royal Entomological Society with high quality images for identification requests