An ancient animal
The New Zealand Weta is a very ancient animal - they were around in the time of the dinosaurs when New Zealand was still joined to Australia dating back over 190 million years.
There are over 20,000 species worldwide with over 100 species in New Zealand with other relatives in South Africa as well as Australia. Weta are often called 'King Crickets' in the rest of the world.
Simple life cycle
Weta are insects (with six legs). They have big back legs for jumping and good strong jaws like secateurs for chewing. This group of insects (Orthoptera) also covers grasshoppers, crickets with a very simple lifestyle where the adult lays eggs which hatch into nymphs, which then grow into adults again.
Weta have shiny brown bodies and no wings. Their 'feelers' (antennae) are often as long as their body and their back legs often have spikes that they bring forward to defend themselves. Females have a long spike at the back which is for laying eggs and is not a sting.
Weta are generally vegetarians though some species in New Zealand eat smaller insects. They are also nocturnal and during the day love to live in holes in timber such as trees or fence posts. This is the secret to observing them using a Weta house (see below).
Main New Zealand species
Work is still going on identifying and classifying the many New Zealand Weta and their biology. Here are some of the main ones:
- Giant Weta (Maori Weta Punga). Deinacrida heteracantha
- Tusked Weta. Motuweta isolata. There are two species currently.
- Tree Weta (Maori Putangatanga). Hemideina thoracica is the Auckland Tree Weta of which there are 7 species currently. H crassidens is the Wellington Tree Weta.
- Ground Weta. Hemiandrus species. This Weta is less related to the above species, all of which have a lot in common.
Check Massey University website, for the work of Mary Morgan-Richards, Steve Trewick and other researchers. Special thanks to Priscilla McAllum for help and information.
Making a Weta house.
Happy weta sharing a compartment in weta boxIf you want to keep the Weta in the house during transport, you'll need a wooden plug for the hole as they will easily chew through softer materials including plastic. They'll even chew through wood too if determined to escape.
This model house described can be scaled up in size with many cavities and entrance holes.
Building stages
1. Start off with timber with a natural preservative. 'Treated timber' is not suitable and will kill the insects. In New Zealand a good source of wood is old Totora fence posts or fence battens. Cupressus Macrocarpa is also good with natural preservatives.
Section of Totora fence batten 250mm long2. Cut a thin slice (10 mm thick) off one side for the door.
3. Mark the end so the door will fit neatly when assembled. It doesn't matter if your cut is not straight as long as you don't confuse the ends.
4. Cut a piece of perspex (any thickness will do) about 40mm wide for the window and draw around it to mark the position to router out a recess for it. Put the window towards the bottom to give plenty of room at the top to attach the door, and allow plenty or room for inspecting the house residents when the door is opened.
5. Router out the recess for the window.
6. Make the window a good fit into the recess.
7. Use a 25mm Forstner bit to drill holes along the length of the recess, leaving room at top and bottom to scew the perspex down. Depth of holes should be about 30mm.
8. Take the sharp edges of the sides of the cavity with a chisel.
9. Bore a 20mm entrance hole in the side of the house to go through into the central cavity.
10. Use a countersunk 10mm screw in each corner of the window to fix it firmly in place.
11. Make a hook from Number 8 wire, stapled on the back to suspend the house in position.
12. Use a 25-30mm screw to fix the door.
13. The finished Weta house with swinging door.
3. Mark the end so the door will fit neatly when assembled. It doesn't matter if your cut is not straight as long as you don't confuse the ends.
4. Cut a piece of perspex (any thickness will do) about 40mm wide for the window and draw around it to mark the position to router out a recess for it. Put the window towards the bottom to give plenty of room at the top to attach the door, and allow plenty or room for inspecting the house residents when the door is opened.
5. Router out the recess for the window.
6. Make the window a good fit into the recess.
7. Use a 25mm Forstner bit to drill holes along the length of the recess, leaving room at top and bottom to scew the perspex down. Depth of holes should be about 30mm.
8. Take the sharp edges of the sides of the cavity with a chisel.
9. Bore a 20mm entrance hole in the side of the house to go through into the central cavity.
10. Use a countersunk 10mm screw in each corner of the window to fix it firmly in place.
11. Make a hook from Number 8 wire, stapled on the back to suspend the house in position.
12. Use a 25-30mm screw to fix the door.
13. The finished Weta house with swinging door.
