I love this story. It's the bit about catching wetas in her hair that's so cool... http://www.stuff.co.nz/4824729a11.html.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » The Newsroom
Grown men cower over wetas, woman scientist nonchalant
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Aaaarrrgh, the link's not working. I'll have to post it. Apologies for the long post...
What lives in damp, dark places, likes cheese, jumps, and scares grown men? Cave wetas.
Finding 125 of the creepy-crawlies in a water tank – appropriately for cheese lovers, at Puhoi – led to some hesitation among those invited to remove them.
The simple task of hooking up a water supply to new public toilets at the Puhoi Reserve took a dramatic but comic turn last week.
The toilets have been provided by the Rodney District Council to handle an expected increase in use after the Orewa to Puhoi motorway extension opens on Sunday, January 25.
The first northern toilet stop off the new motorway should see more people heading to Puhoi for some relief, council senior parks and coastal capital works engineer Peter Bilton says.
But a widespread aversion to creepy-crawlies by contract staff led to entomology experts being called in to identify and move many cave wetas which had taken up residence in a 30-year-old water tank, now supplying water to the new toilets.
A plumber who climbed into the tank to do some work looked up and, seeing dozens of large wetas crawling above him, rapidly exited the tank, says contractor Hibiscus Builders site manager Guy Abraham.
After giving the plumber a hard time, Mr Abraham went to see for himself.
Lifting the lid he was able to see the opening surrounded by the weta’s feelers and also decided against entering the tank. "I don’t mind being called a wuss," he says. "I’m just not doing it."
A suggestion to put a pest bomb in the tank to kill the insects certainly appealed, but Mr Abraham instead contacted Mr Bilton who called entomologist and Forest and Bird Protection Society chairman Dr Peter Maddison.
Dr Maddison and two colleagues with nets quickly identified the bugs as harmless cave wetas, often found in bush along stream overhangs.
A woman entomologist among the trio, Rosemary Gilbert, did most of the weta collecting, catching almost as many in her long hair as in her net.
In fact, she was the only one who ventured into the tank for long – one reason being she was small enough to fit through the opening, says Dr Maddison. "Rosemary used to work as an assistant at the museum, so she’s used to things like wetas," he says.
She broomed them off the tank into the knee-deep water where they happily breast-stroked – they can swim – and many climbed on her, were collected and handed out.
One captured weta was 30.5 cm long – a foot from antenna tip to toe.
While wary onlookers kept their distance, the jumping wetas either escaped or were released into nearby bush.
Cave wetas like shady spots and streams, feeding mainly on dead organic matter. "And they just love cheese," says Dr Maddison. Perhaps it’s no coincidence then that so many cave wetas were found at the reserve when the Puhoi Valley Cheese Company is nearby. -
Cool! I can confidently say I would probably have been able to handle them too, as I have handled their western american cousins, the Jerusalem Crickets, many times. Kids would bring them into me in the fall, as they scrounge around crawling into garages and basements to winter. But the foot long one! Wow, would have loved to see that! Now, spiders...that's another topic entirely. (shudders at the thought of crawling into a dusty basement full of spider webs, a frequent nightmare of mine.)
Posted 3 years ago by paulajeanne #
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I know one woman (MS) who was not so nonchalant when she came into contact with a weta this morning! Come on MS, tell the story before I embellish it!
Posted 3 years ago by KapitiKats in NZ #
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It involved a nectarine, a weta and a window! And a screaming woman.
Posted 3 years ago by KapitiKats in NZ #
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*LOL* I'm with the wuss guys on this one, thank you! I just looked up what wetas are. *shudders* Given how terrified I am of crickets because the almost always jump on me and bite....I mean bite little chunks out of my legs or arms, leaving a bleeding wound.....there is no way I'd get in that tank with all those weta things. *ICK!!!!!*
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C'mon, KK, don't keep us in suspense!!
Posted 3 years ago by Bellantara #
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MS will make her appearance shortly.
Posted 3 years ago by KapitiKats in NZ #
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Ok not that I like creepy crawly things but it ended when they said she caught as many with her HAIR!! Nope that would do it for me, had a bat get caught in my hair when I was a kid and that was quite enough for me.
Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Good afternoon/evening TDKers, what you all waiting for? :-)
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Well while you're waiting and seeing as how this is the WETA thread I'll tell you scary story. Pull up your chairs and settle yourselves in comfy. Is started several days ago when we picked all the nectarines off our tree because the wildlife(possum and birds) were getting at the fruit. To cut a boring story short. . . This morning I had to start bottling(canning) the fruit as it was going off. I'm standing in the kitchen de-stoning and cutting the fruit and I bent down into the bin and picked up a lovely nectarine, I noticed it had several long hairs off it. I turned it over and there was a young WETA, hanging on tightly. I screamed, and tossed the WETA and nectarine bith out the thankfully open window. Deep breathing helped calm me. I actually went out and retrieved the nectarine still with WETA attached using long BBQ tongs and took a pic on my phone camera and send it to KK. She laughed. Sibling sympathy, huh!
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Lol, the visual was funny, so if she got the picture first I can understand the lack of sympathy (yes sad but true). Lucky that the window was open otherwise it would have just been broken, if it were me. And where was HRH during all this, she should have been there to save you....you took care of her shaved bare bottom and popped pills into her mouth as needed.
Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Deb, HRH is somewhere outside in a hidey-hole, the digger and vibrating roller are back in the gully digging up and re compacting. They hadn't compacted the fill enough by the looks of it. So, today the house has been shuddering and vibrating almost continually. Shadz hates it and will only step inside when the machinery turns off. It was only a little WETA too, but caught me off guard. I got 4 large jars of nectarines done and the seals have pooped down so all is good.
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Glad that it all ended well with the canning. Never did learn how to can fruit and veggies, my mom didn't do it but my grandma did. Let's hope that they finish soon with moving the earth and causing all that ruckus scaring poor HRH.
Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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LOL, I wonder just what a weta thinks about us humans. I tossed it away still attached to the nectarine as the fruit had brown rot patches on it. I hope they will be happy together.
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Oh my, a kindly Weta, and I screamed at it. (hangs head)
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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palmetto bugs! i miss some of the bugs and wildlife of florida, but i hate palmetto bugs!!!!
Posted 3 years ago by KarenCentennial #
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Weta are quite harmless but look so intimidating. They still make me scream or yelp when I come across them, especially when I find one in my hand.
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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LMAO, what a good idea, they even have lovely long whiskers like kittens. Do you think it will catch on though.
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Speaking of fish, Mr MS is off out fishing tomorrow the lucky thing. Meegz and I are going to get some mole mapping done, she 'won' the opportunity for herself and a friend to get 3 moles checked out. This is the new form of mother/daughter bonding. The poor thing has a cold and her voice disappeared this morning, by lunch time she managed a squeak and this evening she had a deep, husky(sexy she said) sounding voice. I just had to laugh at her.
Posted 3 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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