Forty willow trees pruned for the hermit beetle

The hermit beetle is known only from the western part of the Natura 2000 site Goričko in the Ledava valley. According to experts, 2 % of the Slovenian population lives in Goričko. Its habitat are old, pollarded willows. Hermit beetle can spend its entire life in one tree. The life cycle which includes the development of the larva to the adult beetle lasts up to 4 years, during which the larvae feed on decaying wood mould. The presence of the species is fairly easily detected by the characteristic excrement found inside or double trees. Adult male beetles emit a characteristic apricot-like scent, which attracts females and which can be detected in the summer.

Typical habitat of the hermit beetle with pollarded willows (photo: M. Podletnik)
Due to the long-lasting life cycle, poor mobility of the species and the lack of suitable habitat, hermit beetle is endangered and is protected as a Natura 2000 species. Most adult beetles do not leave the tree where they lived as a larva at all. However, if they fly away from it, they move just on the first appropriate neighboring tree. In order to preserve the key habitat of the hermit in Goričko - pollard willows, agreements with the owners of 40 willows were signed to pollard the trees with the aim of reducing wind damage. All of these willows were assessed by experts as a hermit beetle habitat and suitable for protection. Agreements are valid until 2026. Additional 2 ha of meadows were acquired in state ownership for a long-time hermit beetle protection. Along the edges of the meadows willows were planted to establish a suitable habitat in the next few decades.

New willow trees were planted on the edges of wet meadows near Kuzma (photo: D. Kuronja)