How to make a weta house
Weta are very special and ancient native insects. All weta are big but the tusked weta is one of the heaviest insects in the world and the cave weta has enormously long legs and feelers.
Lots of different species of weta used to roam the forest floor eating seeds. They were the insect version of mice.
But now our forests are home to introduced rats and mice and they eat weta.
Most giant weta have been exterminated on the mainland and there are much fewer common tree weta.
You can help the weta in your garden or school grounds by making them safe homes in pieces of bamboo.
You need:
• Bamboo
• A saw
• Strong string
What to do:
• Find a length of bamboo with a hole down the middle that
is between 12mm and 18mm wide. Saw it into short pieces, cutting above each joint.
• Each length will make a weta house. With the hole facing down and the solid joint facing up, tie each house to a tree trunk or post.
