That's How It Happened

My current invertebrate collections weigh in at: 30,000 bees, 25 ladybirds, 20 ants (domesticated), 2,000 ants (wild), and 12,000,000 slug killing nematodes. With this surge in arthropod life in my household I've revived a lifelong ambition to breed giant stag beetles. The Tokyo Times explains some of the fascination:

FRI., APRIL 30, '99 -- Eighty beetles valued at 8 million yen ($64,000) were stolen from an insect shop in Toshima Ward, Tokyo yesterday. The haul included 15 pairs of Japanese-born Dorcus hopei, a type of stag beetle popular for its large size and referred to as a "black diamond" because it is so expensive. The price of a Dorcus hopei increases per millimeter of length. Some reach 80 millimeters and are traded for several million yen, even if they are reared in captivity. The owner of the shop, which stocks about 1000 insects, said that in spite of the country's recession, the overall value of stag beetles has not been affected because the insects are now growing bigger due to improvements in breeding techniques.

I've discovered several english manuals, that have lots of helpful advice. Unfortunately I'm having difficulties navigating the online stores, not least because it seems to be illegal to purchase one in the UK under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. It's not illegal to capture my own Dorcus Hopei, nor to import one for personal use, so this is just another thing to add to the list of things I have to bring back when I visit Tokyo.