Stag beetles running amuck in Oakland County
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EmailEditor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team
Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is
included.
A lawn
care service sent in some large black beetles this past week that were
burrowing 6 to 8 inches deep into their client’s yard. We identified the
beetles as black stag beetles, Lucanus placidus, (Coleoptera: Lucanidae). This handsome beetle is a close relative of the common pinching bug, L.capreolus.
Members of this genus are among Michigan’s largest beetles. They have
large, fierce mandibles that males use to fight with one another for
mating privileges. The beetles are attracted to lights and remain nearby
in or on the ground during the day. Their legs are expanded at the ends
as shovels that allow the beetles to dig shallow holes in the ground to
escape the daytime heat. The larvae develop in dead, rotted logs and
stumps. These large attractive insects are harmless and control measures
are normally not needed. The beetles are not long-lived and will go
away on their own in one or two weeks.
