Lucanus College of Beetles-A Beetle Breeder's Know How

03/08/2024

Sorry we’ve been MIA for a bit. Welp, it’s because we’re deep in the woods tryna get a hold of them sweet Grantiis!

13/07/2024

That golden fur is absolutely gorgeous

09/07/2024

What's up dude

03/07/2024

Wanna’s Again

Unsatisfied with the result of our previous trip, we decided to go on another Wanna hunting trip.

For those who aren’t caught up from the last post, Wanna is the name we gave the subspecies taiwanus of the Lucanus maculifemoratus stag beetle.

The weather forecast had led us to expect a good week of weather. However, as we drove up to the mountains where the Wannas reside, we hadn’t a day of sunshine. This sudden change perfectly depicts the Taiwanese rainy season: never constant. We were shocked and speechless, but we believe we can make up with our brimming efforts.

On our first night, we decided to do a bit of light-baiting at an altitude of 1,000m before we adventure deeper. More than 20 Prosoprocoilus astacoides showed up with the usual moths and flies. We collected a couple of larger ones; they make a perfect present for the kids. Hopefully, this brings them closer to nature and further from their attachment issues with their tablets.

The next day we arrived at an altitude of 2,000m. Despite the bad weather, we decided to continue with our light baiting. As if the mountains saw our dedication and decided to reward us for our efforts, a female Wanna appeared. We took pictures of her beauty and let her back in the mountains. A bit of beetle hunting etiquette we like to practice: always put the breeding females back. We planned for a three-night stay at the location, but the bad weather and the danger that comes with did not permit our adventure any further. We ended up heading back down to the 1,000m altitude area after the night. Even more moths and flies came to the light, but still no sight of the targetted Wannas.

At this point, we were ready to go home with only the Prosoprocoilus astacoidus. Suddenly, we were in the presence of something completely unexpected!

To find out what we encountered, please follow us with our Beetle Hunting series!

27/06/2024

Not what we're expecting but definitely cool to see one!

Cheirotonus formosanus; a protected species in the country.

19/06/2024

Let’s gooooooo

05/06/2024

Gotta watch out for them flying spiders!

"It is a matter of when, not if" the spiders are set to arrive, experts say, and it could happen any day now.

03/06/2024

Lucanus maculifemoratus taiwanus

One of our favorite beetles to hunt is Lucanus maculifemoratus.

This species of stag beetle can be found throughout eastern Asia and parts of Russia. We are targeting the subspecies taiwanus, which resides only in Taiwan, and we will be calling them Wannas in this article for ease. The males grow up to a whopping 87mm and the females up to 50mm. They have a relatively long active period from the end of April to late August, but we usually like to go around early May to mid-June to about 2,000m (6,500ft) in altitude for optimal results.

As we were headed towards the mountains, we realized the weather wasn’t on our side that day. Fogs and drizzles hadn’t stopped the entire trip, and we couldn’t escape the mists even having driven to the far ends of the hills. Our worries were valid. The rain limited the beetles’ flight range, and the fog shortened the street lights’ reach into the forest. In these conditions, the phototactic beetles including the Wannas are much harder to spot.

We spent 3 days in the mountains, traveling between various hills and valleys and trying to outpace the bad weather. Our feet were sore from the long walks, and our hearts were aching from the empty results. Just as we were exhausted and about to give up, we spotted a motion in the corner of our eyes.

Immediately, we shined our flashlights on the origin of the movement: an abandoned fabric bag wavering ever-so-slightly atop waist-high bushes. The bag moved oddly up and down as if an object had recently weighed and disturbed its original stability. We approached quietly, blending in with the silence of the night sky, and as our feet tip-toed to the edge of the bag, we grabbed, pulled, and turned the bag over, all in one swift motion.

And there it was, a male Wanna with his wings still yet to retract from landing. We were destined to find him here. Joy overtook our exhaustion and cleared our heads instantly, and our shouts of excitement almost shook the tranquil forest. The sleepless nights, the weary waits, the long drives, and all our efforts paid off!

Though the number is vastly different than that of the Twinies in the previous article, we still got a Wanna we came for and would call that a W! And still, the season for the Wannas is still long, and we would certainly keep an eye out for them on our future trips as well. That’s what beetle hunting is about: there might just be more around the corner!

As always, thank you for reading, and if you enjoy beetle-hunting stories like these, please like and share with your friends who you would go beetle-hunting with one day. See you next time and wish us good luck on our next trip!

30/05/2024

Beetle Hunting

Today we want to touch on a long-neglected topic: Beetle Hunting.

We here at Lucanus are big fans of all aspects of the beetle hobby such as raising, collecting, and, of course, hunting. While our past posts talk about many other beetle topics, we have decided to start a series to share our beetle-hunting experiences. So stay tuned for more hunting stories and share with those you would wanna go beetle-hunting with!

Without further ado, our first hunt of the year: Prosoprocoilus mostchulskii

This is a species of stag beetle that can only be found in Taiwan. They sport a brown or black color and are usually active around nightfall from mid-May to late July. The males grow up to 65mm and the females up to 30mm. The locals call it 高砂鋸, or the Twin Saws, so from here on out we will refer to them as Twinies for ease.

Hunting the Twinies is a different experience for those who usually hike up the mountains for beetles. While most stag beetles tend to reside in mountains with an altitude range of 1,000 to 2,000 meters (3,300 to 6,500ft), Twinies like to stay closer to the ground. So no hiking boots are required, just put on a pair of comfy sneakers, and you’re good to go!

We hadn’t had a lot of experience hunting Twinies before, so we decided to visit a spot our local friend frequented, without any expectations. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find the destination to be a flat patch of grass in the city right next to a busy basketball court. Several trees grew in uniform height along a concrete walkway down the center of the land, and ankle-high grass sprouted around the roots. The skinny trunks reflected lightly the illumination from the distant spotlights on the court, and upon a closer look, each trunk was crawling with dozens of Twinies. Every trunk was, not one tree empty; the number must have been in the hundreds! It was a Twinie party!

We have never seen so many beetles in the wild before. We are used to being cooped up in the mountains for the entire night to spot a whole lot of nothing but a handful of beetles. We even had to go home empty-handed on multiple occasions. Seeing such copious beetles in the natural habitat was a shock to our senses and our minds. Only in our wildest dreams have we seen such a scene, let alone being in a densely developed neighborhood like this!

This is the fun of beetle hunting: you just never know what you might encounter, no matter how much experience you have, and this is why we come time after time, year after year. This trip sure was an interesting and different experience, to say the least. Although the Twinies weren’t on our radar before, we sure will come to check in on them again next year!

08/03/2023

Invasive Japanese beetles that eat away at our crops has made the Yakima Valley their home for a couple of years now.But now the state says it has seen some pr

27/01/2023

Interesting Concept!

Recent reports have spurred a backlash against the 1 percent of restaurants. What is the human cost of this type of eating, and will it last?

16/11/2022

Just some unique crawlies to spice up your day!

It might look weird to humans, but it looks cool to female moths.