Flagship arborists relocate bulky beetles from Kesgrave to woodland refuge next to Coppice House in Bury St Edmunds
Hundreds of bulky beetles are making a new home at a haven for nature in a Suffolk town after being rescued by two tree technicians.
Peter Goulding, an arborist for housing provider Flagship Group, and colleague Michael Waters, found ‘glossy black beetles the size of a pencil rubber’ when removing a rotted tree stump from a tenant’s garden in Kesgrave.
Mr Goulding identified the bugs as the lesser stag beetle and although the species lack the long, stag-like mandibles of its ‘greater’ cousin and is not protected, the duo found the large colony worth preserving.
Mr Goulding said: “With every blow, beetles emerged from holes and headed for the soil.
“We grabbed them and put them in a plastic Celebrations tub while others still hid in the huge chunks of mushy wood.”
They relocated the beetles and the remains of the stump to a woodland next to Coppice House in Greenwood Court, Bury St Edmunds, at Flagship housing association’s headquarters Samphire Homes.
Mr Goulding said that while his work with a chainsaw and grinder could be ‘hot and ‘unpleasant’ at times, he added: “It is satisfying to know why I am spending days doing this, for the good of creatures that would have no concept of who I was or what was happening, but who will survive.”
The woodland is the same site Flagship arborists relocated 49 trees to early this year, out of the path of a planned housing development.
The rescue scheme won an award for its environmental impact in June.
Dan Curtis, Flagship’s arboriculture operations manager, said: “It’s fantastic that the team recognise the importance of retaining habitat and invertebrates and that Flagship supports this level of environmental commitment.”
Daniel Salliss, biodiversity and land manager, also said: “It’s really exciting that stag beetles were found on one of our sites, and thank you to our arboriculture team for looking after them.
“While the team looks after our trees, they have a real passion for looking after nature in our communities in general.
“If you want to help stag beetles in your own garden, one of the best ways is to create dead wood habitats such as stumps, loggeries or log piles."
