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Mears Bush
Wildlife at Mears Bush
Bees
Huhu Beetle
A bee in action.
Scientific name: Anthophila
Common name: Bee
Maori name: Pi
Bees forage on natives such as Pohutukawa, Ti tree and native mistletoe but have also adapted to introduced flowers including Kiwifruit. Native bees are smaller than introduced bees and do not have a sting?
Beetles like to live in old logs.
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Scientific name: Prionoplus reticularis
Common name: Huhu Beetle
Maori name: Huhu
New Zealand has a large number of native beetles. Most beetles are herbivores living of the native plants and leaf litter in the bush. Most beetles can fly, but they spend much of their time on the ground or in low vegetation
Collecting pollen.
There are 28 different types of native New Zealand bees?
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Western honey bee,
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Buff-tailed bumblebee
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Leioproctus
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Short-haired bumblebee
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Bombus ruderatus
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Bombus hortorum
The perfect home for Huhu grubs
Huhu grubs take a long time to mature. The grubs will eat their way into old logs, living from two to three years. Their pupal stage lasts about 25 days. Strangely an adult Huhu beetle will only live for two weeks and they do not eat.
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