CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Cleveland 19 viewers have asked about a particularly nasty looking beetle that's out and active in Northeast Ohio right now.
According to John Windau with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, it's believed to be the species of Stag Beetle.
The University of Kentucky Entomology Department's website explained, "There are 30 different species of stag beetles in the U.S. Two-thirds of them live in the western half of the country."
The Stag Beetle feeds on leaves and sap and you may see them flying toward bright lights at night.
The beetle's larvae are food for a variety of animals. Birds, lizards, snakes, toads, raccoons and skunks enjoy feasting on them.
Those dangerous looking pinching horns, or mandibles, on the front are not to be messed with.
"When disturbed, a stag beetle will rear back and hold its head high with its mandibles open," the website said. "The males in some species use their huge jaws to fight each other over females."
Jeff Mueller, a Lawn and Garden Department Manager with Petitte Garden Center told Cleveland 19 he hasn't heard of an major influx of this type of beetle this year.
"Usually all the beetles run in cycles. We are about to see the Japenese Beetle which can eat grape vines, shrubs and and rose bushes," Mueller said.
If you see one and want to take its picture the University of Kentucky said, " Often, the best plan is to capture one, place it in a regular refrigerator for about 10 minutes, and then take its picture while it is warming up (this will not harm the beetle)."
