RobClubley

They're not that big! fully grown Wellington Wetas (the stripy ones) are about 6-8cm long I'd say (the body that is).

It's pretty freaky when one wanders out of the undergrowth when you're gardening but they're harmless - they eat rotting vegetation and usually only come out at nght (they make noises at night too a bit like crickets).

They can apparently give you a nip if you handle them too much and upset them but I always pick them up to move them out of the cats' way and I've never had a nip yet!

They have really strong legs and can jump quite a way!

The cave weta are pretty rare I think. Those are in an abandoned gold mine at Karori wildlife Sanctuary. They all move when you shine teh torch at them - pretty freaky!

They have giant weta there too but we haven't seen them yet:



http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/whatsnew/news/news110.html

RobClubley

Oh I should say by the way that wetas never come inside the house!

We do get spiders - mainly these:



They look freaky but they're small and harmless!

Sometimes these - white tails - which can give a nasty bite which can get infected and cause abscesses (sp?)



Here's some more stick insects for you.

Jerseygirl

Cave crickets...we get them here in the US. We have them in our basement...the exterminator can't seem to get rid of them. They have very poor eyesight and seem to jump backwards...they often jump at you!

cyndi

Well yeah. we used to get crickets in Colorado & Nebraska but they were never that size. 6 - 8 cms thats 2 - 3 in & that's just the body length. If something like that jumped at me I'd have a heart attack.

Jerseygirl

Ours are about 2" inc legs. It's when they jump at you that's scary IMHO.

3jays

We have found cockroaches, ants, mozzies and flies to be the main pests. Don't know of any "dangerous" creepy crawlies.

RobClubley

Don't forget sand flies - little buggers

I think the white tail is the most dangerous thing

nzer57

Bites
The usual white-tailed spider bite can be painful but the initial
burning feeling, swelling, redness and itchiness at the bite site
usually goes and there are no long-lasting effects. White-tailed
spider bites are not considered poisonous to humans. A recent
Australian study has shown no evidence linking necrotic ulcers
(destroyed skin) to white-tailed spider bites.

Source:

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/0/A4E...newzealand.pdf

lardyl

pretty much what MrsL said when I found a white-tail in our living room, my eldest is obsessed with any spider that is white/clear as some kids he knows reportedly had a bite that went "bad".......been suprised by the odd cockroach in my boots in the summer mornings but not much else to report....there is another poisonous spider BTW lives near the sea, is indigenous (unlike the aforementioned ozzie import) and pretty endangered AFIK but cant recall the name.
Problem at the moment is ants as the cooler weather at night is bringing them into our kitchen......and at 0530h there are lots when I get up for breakfast......
time for some "ants in your pants" - wet and forget?? is it any good or should I avoid the trip down to Apollo Drive, Albany???

nzer57

You're thinking of the Katipo spider. A nasty bite but nothing serious to the average healthy individual. Redback is the other nasty and is an Ozzy import. Neither are seen in great numbers nor are the widely spread around NZ. You'd be lucky to find a Katipo even if you went looking. They're a sand dune liking spider and in 40 yrs of hitting the beaches I've never seen one there. Zillions of the buggers here in Oz and their favorite place is outdoor furniture.

You haven't seen ants or cockys until you've lived in Oz. The place is the proverbial ant hill. Ants are attracted to food. If you have ants you have to keep your food surfaces and kitchens well cleaned.

Cocky's luv to live under your fridge and stove. In fridges they find plenty of tucker in the drain tray so clean that out regularly and you should be good to go. Poke baits around and underneath appliances to keep them under control. They carry salmonella.

lardyl

doh, all the new names to remember....
yuk on the roach front....
so I hear the average NZ dweller wouldn't last too long in trap-door spider city (Oz) as they love to wander the grassy plains barefoot - I take it their cousins and their clued-up fellows over the ditch don't??

Biddy

I think the long and short of it is:
NZ lays claim to the biggest insect - Giant Weta
Ozzie lays claim to the most dangerous - just about everything - crocodiles, box jellyfish, sea snakes, koalas, spiders etc - except koalas as they're not really dangerous - apart from the Killer Koala from Goolangong that is.
Nothing in NZ is life threatening.
Most stuff in Ozzie is.
Queensland Cockroaches have to be seen to be believed - or trodden on in bare feet. Yuk.
NZ is pretty civilized really.
Ozzie - well, it's getting there

grimm

We don't mind most of the bugs...the cats love bringing us a variety of nasty looking things at night.
Wetas are cool but frightened the crap out of my hubby the first time he saw one.
The flies on the other hand drive us scatty. We're spending a fortune on mortein sprays but once you open the door or windows - all day in the heat - they just don't go away!!!
One tip to anyone that goes travelling to the South Island - stay away from the Kea birds as they will eat your car.

planty

Can't believe no one has mentioned the Preying Mantis, I had one jump on me a few months ago, I looked at it, first thought was What the heck is it, second was is it going to bite. Then I saw what it was, grabbed it and took it inside to show the children. They were fascinated, we caught another one and kept in a clear plastic box for a couple of days and fed it flys.
I was doing some garden shredding the other week and another one jumped on me and ran all over my back and up my shoulder and over my head, they are great, not sure how Mrs Planty would have reacted if it ran over her.
I'm sure the screams would have been heard on the North Island.

zoej

Why do I think my 6 year old lad will be out bug hunting and bringing these things in - secure bug house is the answer!