麻豆社

In late summer in a suburban garden two stag beetles - the Romeo and Juliet of the beetle world - have breathed their last. But is this tale of murder most foul or the result of a lovers' pact? It is indeed a love story that began a long time ago. The male stag beetle has enormous 'antlers' which are actually specialised, extended mouthparts. The female is rather less impressive, but nonetheless beautiful - to a male stage beetle. Stag beetles lead very passionate lives because they only have six weeks to consummate their love and leave their legacy. The female will lay her eggs in a decaying log and the larvae will live inside, feeding on rotting wood until they are ready to pupate. With such a lack of nutritional variety it's no wonder the larvae will then take up to six years to grow. When they are adults and ready to emerge, they need to find a mate quickly. They fly off - rather gracelessly and crash land. When they find a female, there may already be a male around so the males fight, using their antlers, much like rutting deer. The winner will get the girl. The beetles mate and will die shortly afterwards and somewhat surprisingly the large males are very gentle.