LIKE many British species, it is becoming rare to catch a glimpse of the formidable looking but friendly stag beetle.

Sadly, their numbers are dwindling across Europe due to loss of habitat and predators, including cats, magpies and humans.

In parts of Britain, stag beetles are already extinct, so help is needed to prevent further decline. This spring, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species is asking the public to record any sightings of these iconic insects by taking part in its annual Great Stag Hunt.

Stag beetles emerge from mid-May onward and live in gardens, parks, woodland edges and traditional orchards. Stag beetles are prevalent throughout southern England and coastal areas of the south west, while they are less common in the north of England and the South Downs.

Stag beetles can reach up to 75mm in size, which makes them second largest of all UK beetles after the water beetle, but also easy to spot. For the majority of their life cycle, stag beetles remain underground as larvae, feeding on rotten wood. They can remain as larvae for as long as seven years, and once fully grown they build a large cocoon in the soil where they pupate before finally metamorphosing into their adult, more recognisable, form.

Last year’s Great Stag Hunt saw 5,796 recorded stag beetle sightings, including 901 sightings in Hampshire alone. There are no set rules for the Great Stag Hunt, just simply record any sightings of stag beetles online at ptes.org/stagbeetles, which will help the group’s wider conservation strategy.

Laura Bower, conservation officer at the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, said: “The Great Stag Hunt has involved thousands of people over the last 20 years. Now is the right time of year for people to start recording sightings of stag beetles, as they emerge from mid-May. Gardens in particular are very important habitats, as stag beetles rely on decaying wood in contact with soil to feed on as larvae.

“Volunteers can help by retaining dead tree stumps or building a log pile in their gardens to ensure there is a good supply of dead wood for female stag beetles to lay their eggs in. We hope to see more volunteers joining this year’s Great Stag Hunt to help reverse their population decline.”