I live in S.C. and I think I have ID'd the strange bugs in my yard as the Male Elephant Stag Beetle. They are about 2-3 inches long, hard dark reddish brown bodies with long (evil-looking) pinchers. I am curious as to the cause of these bugs, if they are harmful at all, and how to get rid of them.
2006-07-06 13:48:26 · 5 answers · asked by bugged 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
They are not harmful to you at all, though if you tease one enough he'll pinch you (though it doesn't really hurt). You probably have a pile of damp, decaying timbers somewhere in your yard (that's where the females like to lay their eggs) and that's why you suddenly have them.
You probably shouldn't even try to get rid of them, they are a good thing to have in the yard. They clean up all your rotting fruit, and enjoy a meal of aphid honeydew, helping to keep the aphids at bay.
By the way, given where you are I think what you have is "Lucanus elaphus" - Giant Stag Beetles. Many people do call these "Elephant Stag Beetles", though.
2006-07-06 14:18:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Elephant Stag Beetle
2016-11-14 21:26:08 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they cant harm you...the pinchers are there for males to fight each other, by pushing ...they dont use that against you...cmon, why get rid of them? I live in a city and I would love to have a garden with bugs, just to see them run around and do their things..
2006-07-06 13:52:48 · answer #3 · answered by Nostromo 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thank you everyone for answering.
2016-08-23 01:19:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes
2006-07-06 13:51:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anry 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋