So it seems like I have an insect nest in my backyard. Stagbeetle, Lucanus cervus to be exact. They're on the endangered species list in my country and I want to keep the nest safe.
What do these things eat and how do I protect them?
What do you mean by nest, OP? Their larvae eat wood. As long as you don't disturb them, they should be just fine.
Dead, moist wood.
Lay off the pesticides.
>>2161673
It's a full blown nest, I've just seen 2 of them having sex. I can transfer the nest to a forest if things go out of hand
>>2161674
That makes an extreme amount of sense. It's been a rainy year so far and they're a dead tree right next to the nest
>>2161671
Adults will eat rotting fruit and sap/nectar, just high energy soft sugary shit to keep them moving, in the same manner butterflies, moths, hummingbirds etc. do. Larvae on the other hand eat/live in soft decayed hardwood logs, in which they take a year or two to get big enough to pupate.
Stags don't have 'nests', so I don't know what you've been smoking there, but they do need decaying log piles to live and breed around, preferably in an area sheltered from weather extremes/Winter. I live too far north to see Lucanus so I'm pretty jealous, good luck with helping them out in your area
>>2161673
Extremely qt little Megasoma, I can't even imagine how great it would be to see actual big beetles bumbling around in the wild
>>2161673
The mother beetle gathers sticks and bits of colorful trash and weaves a nest from it genius
>>2161683
Should I get some apples, plums and shit in a tiny bowl to place on the tree or just leave them alone?
>>2161686
Putting a couple of halved bits of fruit out could be a nice idea, just don't go overboard or it could attract birds and other predators, then the beetle lads are toast. Wouldn't bother with a bowl, it would probably make food harder to get to desu
>>2161691
Fed them 2 halved plums, that shouldn't attract predators and the beetles can safely munch
>>2161685
>notsureiftrolling.jpeg
>>2161671
nice
You seem to have a lot of dead, rotting oak/beech wood
I would love to have L. cervus around, I only have these little fags where I live
the Lucanus are extinct here, sadly
Go and search up
Beetle Breeding Daniel Ambuehl
On YouTube. There you find information on how to keep, breed and raise them.
Who cares if they are protected ? It's not like a Entomologist is walking into your house identifying the exac species. You are cool.
Only cool beetle around my parts
>>2162507
That's a hell of a reason to get in trouble.
"Man helps ensure the survival of endangered beetle, faces 30 days in jail for making critters hump each other."
