Don’t mess with the Huhu
On my first night in New Zealand, I did something that I always do when I get to a new place – see which insects were attracted to light that was left on. The usual suspects are various species of moths, but sometimes also katydids, antlions and beetles.
To my surprise, the first insect that I found was a large longhorn beetle (family Cerambycidae). With a length of 50mm, hairy body, large mandibles and beautiful elytra reticulated in yellow, one could not miss it resting on the asphalt. I later learned that this was the huhu beetle, Prionoplus reticularis, New Zealand’s largest endemic beetle.
The adult huhu beetles do not feed and live for about two weeks only. These insects spend most of their lives in the larval stage, boring into and feeding on dead wood. They can become pests in sawn timber and logs, eventually destroying the wood and leaving just the outer shell. The larvae are considered delectable wild food and were traditionally harvested by the Māori people to be eaten raw or cooked (note to self: I need to try this). At the end of their growth the larvae reach an impressive body length of 70mm and create a chamber for pupation. The adult beetle emerges from the pupa after 25 days and uses its strong mandibles to break free from the pupation chamber in the wood. The whole life cycle can take up to several years.
The adult beetles appear during the southern hemisphere spring and summer (November to March). They start their activity around dusk, and many of them reach outdoor lights and well-lit rooms in their heavy flight. I often found mating pairs in close proximity to light bulbs.
Many people fear these beetles for no good reason (or worse – I heard people relate to these beetles as cockroaches). The adults look a bit scary with their enormous jaws and long antennae swinging from side to side as they walk, but they are harmless and not aggressive. Well, that is, if they are not provoked. They can still use their mandibles to bite, but their bite is a lot less serious than other bites I got while in NZ (for example, ground weta’s. Stay tuned!).
Kim Wilcock
Thanks for your very informative article. I thought these beetles did not actually bite until tonight when my kitten was playing (tormenting) with one and it grabbed her. She was making a fair bit of noise and it took her a good 5-7 seconds to get it to let go. She looked very annoyed afterwards and wouldn’t come to me – like it was my fault! Anyway, I was checking on the Internet to make sure they weren’t poisonous, which is how I came across your article.
Dain K Sansome
I love your portrait shot and nice detail shots. Just found a bunch of the grubs in a stump yesterday. I was very surprised, must’ve been 7 or 8 of them. Thought about taking them home to watch them change into adults. They were huge! As big as my index finger. Here in Albany Oregon. Also this morning I found a dead adult on a log.
Jake
Hey there Dain,
These beetles are endemic, meaning they don’t occur at all outside of NZ!
Jeremy White
Apparently they can be fatal to Cats if eaten !
wizentrop
I highly doubt it. They are not poisonous.
Debbie
Locals call them “hair cutter beetles” as if they fly into you they go a bit wild and get very tangled in your hair and you have no option but to cut them out.
molly silby
hi i found a huhu beetle and wanted to keep it for a while. its a female and it is creeping me out. what do i feed it?
wizentrop
Hi Molly, I believe the adult beetles do not feed at all, and live for a few weeks only to reproduce.
Adowilhan
Te papa have in an article stating that a cat died after ingesting a bug whole
wizentrop
Maybe the larvae need to be cooked before consumption…
Mandy Willis
My puppy caught a huhu Beatle last night (or the beatle caught him) and we got it away from him but hes been sick and vomiting most of the night is this caused from the beatle as i always thought they weren’t poisonous to humans or dog and cats but now thinking otherwise
Marg Symons
What is the difference between a weta and a huhu? One been driving me crazy all day, it keeps coming back. I dumped i5 b6 the stream and then it returned, I picked it up and it bit me.
wizentrop
Huhu is a beetle, while weta is closer to a cricket. Different insects.