Let’s go out to collect rhinoceros beetles: Basic methods for collecting adult beetles

Beetle collecting is a great way to get children interested in nature.
Exploring parks and woodlands at night and finding beetles that gather around tree nectar (sap) is a great surprise and moving experience for children.

This article is aimed at beginners to rhinoceros beetle collecting, and focuses on how to enjoy collecting rhinoceros beetles together with your children. It provides detailed information on the best time to find rhinoceros beetles, how to prepare, and how to collect them safely, so that you can create wonderful memories.

Have fun collecting rhinoceros beetles! Create summer memories for parents and children!

Beetle collecting for children

Catching rhinoceros beetles is an exciting adventure for children.
Going out at night with mom or dad is a special event in itself.
The quiet, slightly dark park, unlike during the day, seems like a completely different world.

It’s thrilling to navigate a dark path relying only on streetlights and your own torch.
Your heart beats faster as you wonder if there’s something hiding in the shade of a tree.
“Is it really there?” “What kind of beetle will I find?” The mixture of anticipation and anxiety only fuels your sense of adventure.

The feeling I get when I shine a light on a tree trunk and search carefully, only to find the shadow of a big, black rhinoceros beetle, is indescribable! It’s like finding a treasure that’s all your own.

Children’s growth, the importance of ingenuity, and a sense of accomplishment

Even if you don’t find a rhinoceros beetle, there’s no need to be disappointed. Exploring the park at night and spending special time with your parents will all become precious memories.
What’s more, the event-like atmosphere will make you want to look again and try again.

Don’t let one failure be the end of it. If you research it again and succeed on the second or third try, the moment of joy shared between parent and child will be an unforgettable memory.

Hunting for rhinoceros beetles is not just about catching insects, it’s also a great opportunity to deepen parent-child bonds. Create unforgettable summer memories through this exciting adventure.

The best time to collect rhinoceros beetles

We will explain the best time to enjoy collecting rhinoceros beetles. In order to encounter rhinoceros beetles in nature, it is important to know the times when they are active.

The best time to collect rhinoceros beetles is from around the end of the Obon festival in June until the end of August.

To explain in more detail, it may vary depending on the region and the weather of the year, but

End of the rainy season from late June to early July

The males start to become active, and the earliest individuals start gathering around tree sap. There may not be many of them yet, but this is your chance to encounter some of the beetles early on.

Mid-July to mid-August and summer vacation period

This is the peak season for rhinoceros beetles. Both males and females can be seen in large numbers, making it the perfect time to enjoy collecting them. You are especially likely to encounter the most rhinoceros beetles from late July to early August.

Late August

Gradually, the number of rhinoceros beetles begins to decline.
In the wild, reproduction ceases, and an increasing number of individuals reach the end of their lifespan, having outlived their physical strength.

If you keep it at home

Rhinoceros beetles do not survive winter and will die before winter arrives.
If you are keeping them at home, aim to keep them until the end of October so that they can live as long as possible until then.

Collecting rhinoceros beetles involves two steps: finding a collection spot in advance and collecting at night.

Collecting rhinoceros beetles involves two steps: finding a collection spot in advance and collecting at night.
Let’s take a look at the key points of each.

Searching for a location during the day and inspecting collection points

The key to success in collecting rhinoceros beetles is knowing where they live. In other words, it’s important to know the area where the beetles live, and even more importantly, which trees they live on.

It is well known that rhinoceros beetles prefer sawtooth oak and konara oak trees, but there are actually other ways to find trees that rhinoceros beetles gather on besides the standard sawtooth oak and konara oak. Even if you don’t know what sawtooth oak or konara oak are, it is possible to find rhinoceros beetles.

Here are some tips to help you find trees that attract rhinoceros beetles.

[Most important] Look for trees that have sap coming out. Look for trees with beetles or hornets.

The beetles are attracted to trees for sap, so finding a tree that has sap is the most important thing.

Trees that are leaking sap have damaged bark or traces of sap flowing out.
They may also have a sweet smell, so observe carefully.
If sap is leaking from other types of trees, not just sawtooth oaks and konara oaks, it is possible that rhinoceros beetles are gathering there.

Beetles and hornets gather around trees that are leaking sap during the day.
Hornets have strong jaws and chew on the tree, scraping the surface of the tree and allowing new sap to come out, so they also serve as a landmark for finding trees that are leaking sap.
*Hornets are very dangerous insects. Adults and children should keep away from them.

Search for Sawtooth Oak and Konara Oak trees

Sawtooth oak and konara oak trees are trees that produce acorns.
Roughly speaking, the best way to tell them apart is to look at the surface of the wood.

Sawtooth oak and konara oak have rough surfaces.
It is easy to see when comparing them to other common trees, but sawtooth oak and konara oak have rough, rugged surfaces.

Collecting beetles at night

The beetles gradually start gathering around the sap from around 7pm,
just as the sun sets and the hornets become inactive.

In addition to searching for sap during the day, collecting rhinoceros beetles at night requires luck and the right tools.

Item list for ensuring children’s safety and preparing for successful rhinoceros beetle collection

Bug net suitable for finding rhinoceros beetles

Bug nets are sold at 100 yen shops, but they are not recommended for collecting rhinoceros beetles.
Rhinoceros beetles often live halfway up trees, and even adults cannot reach them with a net from a 100 yen shop.

Bug nets are available at affordable prices such as 1,500 yen or 3,000 yen, and there are longer ones such as 150cm or 180cm, so we recommend that you bring one.

insect cage

The insect trap used to collect rhinoceros beetles can be either a mesh cage or a breeding case.
If I had to choose, I would recommend a shoulder-type trap, held by an adult.
(Hand-held traps can be easily forgotten and difficult to find in the dark, and children can easily fall and get injured if they are allowed to hold a shoulder-type trap.)

Headlight & glowing sash

We recommend headlamps for both adults and children. Make sure to bring enough for everyone, both adults and children.

A handheld light takes up your hands, so a headlamp is by far the most convenient.
It’s also recommended as a safety measure to have your children wear a headlamp, as it makes it easier to find them when they’re running around in the dark (it can be a real shock when you lose sight of your child in a dark park, even if only for a short time. From my own experience, I believe that headlamps are essential not only for kindergarten and nursery school children, but also for elementary school children, who are becoming more active).

A glowing sash is also useful for safety when going out with children to dark parks or wooded areas.

Clothing: Long sleeves and long pants

There are many mosquitoes in parks and woods where rhinoceros beetles live, so when collecting insects, it is best to avoid using insect repellent spray.
Also, since collecting beetles is done in the dark, branches at your feet can also cause injury.

Even in the summer, it is important to wear long sleeves, long pants, socks, and sneakers to cover your skin.

Try the rhinoceros beetle trap

When researching rhinoceros beetle traps, you will find information on using tights, laundry nets, draining nets, and plastic bottles, but this is a no-no.
If you use tights, laundry nets, draining nets, or plastic bottle beetle traps, you must be sure to clean up afterward.

If you want to create some fun memories with your kids, we recommend smearing honey or bananas directly onto the tree.

Simple beetle trap

• Place the bananas in a plastic bag and mash them inside the bag.
• Leave it at room temperature for a day to a week to ferment.
• Once you get a strong, sweet smell, the preparation is complete. Apply the fermented banana directly to the tree.

Specially crafted rhinoceros beetle traps

Adding dry yeast, shochu, and sugar to mashed bananas to encourage fermentation will make the smell even stronger, attracting more rhinoceros beetles.

Parent and child beetle collecting Other precautions

Don’t forget to stay hydrated

Even at night, it’s still hot outside in the summer. The first thing you need to do when you arrive is to hydrate.
In our house, we set aside time to hydrate every 15 minutes so that we don’t get too excited and forget to hydrate.

What do you do after you catch it?

In order to maintain a rich natural environment where many people can come into contact with rhinoceros beetles, it is effective for each person to release the beetles they catch rather than taking them home.

If you still want to keep the rhinoceros beetle you caught, make sure to prepare thoroughly so that raising it can be a learning opportunity for both parent and child.

• Do you keep the beetles you catch? Or not?
• If you were to keep a rhinoceros beetle, where would you keep it?
• How do you care for rhinoceros beetles? Who does it?
• What do you do when a rhinoceros beetle dies? (We bury it in our flower bed.)

We recommend that you make some arrangements before setting out to collect rhinoceros beetles.

For more information on preparing to raise rhinoceros beetles, please see “How to raise rhinoceros beetles (adults) – Basic knowledge and necessary items for beginners“.