Hampshire volunteers needed to report endangered stag beetle sightings

From late May into July, wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is calling for people across the UK to record any sightings of stag beetles, as part of the charity’s annual ‘Great Stag Hunt’.

Stag beetles typically emerge from the ground in late May and can often be seen into late July flying around on warm summer evenings.

They are usually spotted in gardens, parks, and other green spaces.

This year, PTES is particularly interested to receive sightings of stag beetles in woodlands, as well as these other habitats.

Laura Bower, conservation officer at PTES said: ‘We know stag beetles live in woodlands in mainland Europe, but we don’t know whether they’re living in UK woodlands.

‘We want to encourage anyone living near a woodland to keep their eyes peeled and tell us if they spot one of these iconic insects’.

Stag beetles are Britain’s largest land beetle and the males' impressive mandibles arguably make them one of the most spectacular.

Stag beetles are shiny black with chestnut wing cases and males can grow up to 75mm in length, while females are slightly smaller.

Hampshire residents can go the extra mile this summer by doing a weekly stag beetle count.

All that’s required is to walk a 500m transect six times between June and July on warmer evenings and record any sightings

Last year, Hampshire was the second-highest region for stag beetle sightings with over 2,600 reported.

To find out more and to record a sighting, visit stagbeetles.ptes.org.