Insect Hotel, Turangi. Waikato. New Zealand.
S 39° 00.075 E 175° 48.450
60H E 396739 N 5682408
An insect haven in a native bushland Reserve near the Tongariro River.
Waymark Code: WMJ7HK
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 10/06/2013
Views: 5
This insect hotel "Creepy Crawly Towers" is standing in an overgrown bush Reserve near a walking track. It has been constructed using pieces of native timber, totara, manuka or ti-tree, bamboo, coconut shell, pine slabs, pine cones and pieces of bark. There is a slab of Matai native wood with insect holes from a previous occupation which will entice other bugs to move in. An old dismantled wind-chime made from bamboo and coconut provides ideal shelter for Mason Bees and spiders.
We have built this insect hotel with some adaptations for our native insects and are hoping the tree wetas (Hemideina species)(see photo above) will move out of the nearby hedge and into the bark crevices of the hotel. This particular weta had taken up residence on our geocache hidden nearby. They like the nooks and crannies between logs and stumps and are often found amongst the stacked firewood. They can be up to 80 mm long and most commonly live in holes in trees formed by beetle and moth larvae or where rot has set in after a twig has broken off. The hole, called a gallery, is maintained by the weta and any growth of the bark surrounding the opening is chewed away. They readily occupy a pre-formed gallery in a piece of wood (a weta motel) and can be kept in a suburban garden as pets. A gallery might house a harem of up to 10 juveniles of both sexes, females and one male. Tree weta are nocturnal. Their diet consists of plants and small insects. The males have much larger jaws than the females, though both sexes will hiss and bite when threatened.
Weta Information and pictures: Link
List of Bugs found in New Zealand: Link
What Spider is that?: Link
Weta Hotels: Link
Insect hotels are not so common in our country but we are hoping that this one will create interest and encourage others to construct their own to help conserve our interesting native insects. Weta Hotels are being encouraged by our Department of Conservation and are becoming popular. Schools and students are encouraged to construct them and place them in suitable bush areas. Some have been built in local Reserves and Conservation areas, e.g. Blue Duck Station in Ruapehu district, and Karori Wild Life Sanctuary in Wellington. Plans are provided on the DOC website. Link. We hope to build one soon to place alongside our Insect Hotel.