How much does a stag beetle cost, is it poisonous, and is it a pest or a beneficial insect?
As summer arrives, all kinds of insects begin to become active; some are poisonous, while others are agricultural beneficial insects. Today we are going to introduce the stag beetle, also called the big-clawed beetle, which generally lives in forests or woodlands, and friends in rural areas have probably all seen it. The stag beetle has good economic value and is kept as a pet. So how much does a stag beetle cost? Is it poisonous? Is it a pest or a beneficial insect?
1. Introduction to the stag beetle
The scientific name of the stag beetle is lucanid, and there are many species; because some species are large in size and unusual in appearance, they are loved by the public and bred artificially.
1. What food do stag beetles eat?
Adults visit flowers and eat nectar, and some are carnivorous. Larvae feed on decaying matter, living and feeding in tree stumps and their roots, and can help break down dead wood and humus.
2. What natural enemies do stag beetles have?
Magpies, badgers, foxes, hedgehogs and woodpeckers are all natural enemies of stag beetles.
3. Living habits of stag beetles
Adults come out at night to be active, most species are phototactic, and there are also species that are active during the day.
2. How much does a stag beetle cost?
Because there are many species of stag beetle, prices differ by species. Some can sell for several dozen yuan each, and a Yangcai arm golden beetle can sell for several hundred; in 2001, a 4.4 cm Yangcai arm golden beetle specimen was auctioned for 200,000 yuan, and the price of a live one reached as high as three to four hundred thousand yuan. In 2019, the golden stag beetle fetched a high price of 4,000 yuan each in Japan.
However, some species of stag beetle have already been listed as nationally protected animals, and the species are especially rare and forbidden to catch, which is why the price is so high.
3. Is the stag beetle poisonous?
Stag beetles are not poisonous and do not bite people; their mouthparts are only suited to licking and sucking tree sap, similar to a brush. Males have large mandible-like horns, which are not used for eating but for fighting other males to compete for females. Adult stag beetles generally begin to appear at the end of May, and are most numerous in August.
4. Is the stag beetle a pest or a beneficial insect?
Stag beetle larvae are beneficial insects; they feed on dead wood, feed on decaying matter, and live and feed in tree stumps and their roots, and can help break down dead wood and humus. They belong to the decomposers of the natural world, and the feces they excrete are very good fertilizer, occupying a unique ecological niche. Adult stag beetles are pests; they suck the sap of trees and fruits and cause certain harm to plants.
Wild stag beetles are relatively common in rural areas, but they are extremely hard to find, so the price is a bit higher.