?Giant stag beetle
Dear Bugman,
We are enclosing photos of what we think is a giant stag beetle. We found him this evening in our yard in Lexington, NC being knocked around by our neighbors cat. When we tried to get him into a container to bring him in for a photo, he reared his head up and used his pinchers to grab our stick. Will you please let us know if we are right. thank you,
Daragh Conrad

Hi Daragh,
This is indeed a Giant Stag Beetle, Lucanus elaphus, and it looks like he didn’t fare so well in his encounter with the cat.

Flying in our backyard in Portland Maine
Hi,
This large beetle, about 2 inches in length was flying around our screened in porch tonight (july 1, 2008). I’ve never seen anything like it and was hoping you would identify it for us. We live in Portland, Maine, in the city but on a very green and tree-lined street. Thanks in advance.

This beauty is a Reddish Brown Stag Beetle, Lucanus capreolus.

need help!
I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota..and the past two weeks we have been infested with these bug in the back yard. They have not made it inside the house yet, thank goodness! It pinched my husband the other night while he was outside and it latched on to my Westie’s nose, and sent her barking and crying! >Can you help me? We have asked all of our neighbors and no one has ever seen anything like this in our area. What is this thing? And how do I get rid of it? Thanks,
Heather

Hi Heather,
This is a Stag Beetle. We are not certain what species, and we will enlist the assistance of Eric Eaton with a more exact identification. You must have a plentiful larval food source in your immediate vicinity. The grubs eat rotting wood, so perhaps a dead rotting tree or a neglected firewood pile is the source of the Stag Beetle population explosion.

Update: (06/29/2008) About the Stag beetle
Dear Heather, I know it’s not great to get pinched, and I am sorry that happened to your husband and your dog, but please don’t try to eliminate your stag beetles, they are a vital part of the forest ecosystem. Probably where your house is now used to be forest not too long ago, or perhaps you are near the edge of forest still. It sounds as if this year there is a surge in the population of stag beetles, and right now the adults are all hatching out, but very soon they will all disperse to find other dead wood, and you won’t be bothered by them any more. Stag Beetles are impressive, and to me they are some of the aristocrats of the beetle world. Best to you,
Susan

Update: (06/29/2008)
Dear Daniel:
The stag beetle is either a female or “minor” male of the “pinching beetle,” Lucanus capreolus. Am I going to hell because I laughed at the poor doggie? I can’t imagine an “infestation” of stag beetles, but simply turning off the outdoor lighting would help. They are attracted to lights at night. In the absence of that attraction they will probably fly elsewhere to look for mates.
Eric Eaton

Thank you so much for your response and your assistance. Now that we know what they are, and that they are not a threat or anything, we will let them be and hopefully they will move on soon on their own. No one will be going to hell for laughing at the fact that my poor puppy (only 12 weeks old) got “pinched.” It was quite the sight and we laughed too. Thanks again!
Heather

Correction: (07/04/2008) Forwarded by Eric Eaton
Hi Eric!
I had a look at What’s That Bug , and would like to suggest that this entry Stag Beetle is probably a Lucanus placidus. Once I had an interesting correspondence regarding this species from Minnesota as well, and posted the lot in the bugguide. Interesting to know that it is you running this site, I used to visit when I had a lot a stag beetle emails, this before the emergence of the bugguide! All the best,
Maria

“YOU’VE GOT TO SEE THIS!” – Stag Beetle in Illinois
Hello and congratulations on such an informative website. We live in a wooded area with a small pond in South-Central Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, MO. In June 2007, my husband encountered this enormous bug on a decorative wagon wheel while cutting grass. He ran into the house to get me and the kids saying, “YOU’VE GOT TO SEE THIS!” My husband grew up on a dairy farm and has seen lots of bugs in his day but never came across anything like this. At first we thought it was an escapee from the insect house at the zoo. After searching the internet, we came across your wonderful site and quickly identified it as a Stag Beetle. We’ve enjoyed watching bugs for a while now but it is one of the biggest we’ve ever seen – it measured 3 inches long. We were afraid to get too close so as not to get surprised. However, we did get close enough to see the dew on its back! Do they fly? Are they common? Any information on this elegant insect would be appreciated.
Denise & John
Illinois

Hi Denise and John,
Your Giant Stag Beetle, Lucanus elaphus, is a beautiful specimen. They do fly. According to BugGuide, they are more common in the southeast, and “There is some conservation concern about this species. The related Lucanus cervus , of Europe, is threatened.”