Make a Weta Hotel
You can make a home to shelter one of New Zealand’s most special native insects, many species of which are endangered or threatened. Wētā have big bodies, spiny legs and curved tusks. Did you know that the giant wētā is the heaviest insect in the world? You are very unlikely to see one of these giant wētā in your backyard, as they are rare and only live in certain parts of New Zealand. However, you could find other species of this unique insect in your wētā hotel.
There are five broad groups of wētā:
Tree wētā
Ground wētā
Cave wētā
Giant wētā
Tusked wētā
Wētā usually eat plants, but can sometimes eat other insects.
They are nocturnal and live in a variety of habitats including grassland, shrub land, forests, and caves. They excavate holes under stones, rotting logs, or in trees, or occupy pre-formed burrows.
This awesome resource is from the Kiwi Conservation Club website
Many wētā species are threatened or endangered due to introduced predators such as rats, stoats, cats, and hedgehogs. Humans have destroyed much of their natural habitat.
You could help the wētā in your backyard by restoring their habitat and creating a safe place for them to live. You could also help by setting a backyard trap to catch rats and other predators. Click HERE to learn how to do this.
Here are instructions on how to make a wētā hotel from a chiseled out log!
There’s a really simple idea on the Kiwi Conservation Club website, which just uses lengths of bamboo tied to trees.
If you want to make a 5 star wēta hotel, check out these instructions for one with perspex windows and a hinged door.
If you would like to make a bigger bug hotel see our Nature connector about constructing bug hotels, or see the instructions below.
