Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 54 minutes ago
Great capricorn beetle is one of Sweden's rarest and most endangered insects. Its distribution area used to extend from Skåne, Blekinge, eastern Småland to Öland, but is now only found in one place in Sweden; namely in the nature reserve Halltorps hage on Öland. The species is already extinct in Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Great Britain.
The main threat to great capricorn beetle is the loss of suitable habitat. The larvae live in living, very old oaks with thick bark and during the 1850s millions of such oaks were felled in meadows and pastures. This, together with the regulation of rivers and a general overgrowth of grazed oak forests, has led to the sharp decline of the species.
Since 2012, Nordens Ark has worked actively with the conservation of the great capricorn beetle.
In order to re-establish the great capricorn beetle on the Swedish mainland, Nordens ark has developed a unique breeding method. A challenging task as there was no previous experience of breeding the species on a large scale, but after three years of hard work we finally had a working method.
The species has three life stages; larva, pupa and beetle, where each stage requires a special treatment. The larvae are reared in petri dishes filled with a nutrient-rich food mixture mainly based on oak shavings. There, the larvae eat and grow large for two years until it is time to transition to the pupal stage. The pupae hatch into fully formed beetles a month later at the end of summer. The beetle must overwinter in a refrigerator to complete its life cycle and become reproductive.
The work takes place in collaboration with the County Board in Kalmar and Blekinge counties, and within the framework of the national action program.
Great capricorn beetle is one of Sweden's rarest and most endangered insects. Its distribution area used to extend from Skåne, Blekinge, eastern Småland to Öland, but is now only found in one place in Sweden; namely in the nature reserve Halltorps hage on Öland. The species is already extinct in Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Great Britain.
The main threat to great capricorn beetle is the loss of suitable habitat. The larvae live in living, very old oaks with thick bark and during the 1850s millions of such oaks were felled in meadows and pastures. This, together with the regulation of rivers and a general overgrowth of grazed oak forests, has led to the sharp decline of the species.
Since 2012, Nordens Ark has worked actively with the conservation of the great capricorn beetle.
In order to re-establish the great capricorn beetle on the Swedish mainland, Nordens ark has developed a unique breeding method. A challenging task as there was no previous experience of breeding the species on a large scale, but after three years of hard work we finally had a working method.
The species has three life stages; larva, pupa and beetle, where each stage requires a special treatment. The larvae are reared in petri dishes filled with a nutrient-rich food mixture mainly based on oak shavings. There, the larvae eat and grow large for two years until it is time to transition to the pupal stage. The pupae hatch into fully formed beetles a month later at the end of summer. The beetle must overwinter in a refrigerator to complete its life cycle and become reproductive.
The work takes place in collaboration with the County Board in Kalmar and Blekinge counties, and within the framework of the national action program.
