Mystery surrounds hundreds of black beetles: Te Atatu South.
Mystery surrounds the gathering of hundreds of South African black beetles outside Countdown Te Atatu South on Tuesday night.
Concerned shoppers posted on a Facebook community page that they had seen a swarm of the critters on the footpath, spreading to the carpark.
A resident reported a security guard was trying to sweep them from the door outside the supermarket.
Beetle scientist Rich Leschen from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research said the South African black beetles were nocturnal creatures.
"They're active at night, flying around looking for mates."
Leschen said the huge number of beetles may have been attracted to the bright artificial lights outside the west Auckland supermarket.
"They're really gathered there by the light, not there to get toilet paper," he said.
"One thing is they will probably be more active with the warmer nights which is normal for a lot of insects in general.
"They might be more active because of the rain."
Leschen said the adults were harmless but large numbers of larvae could remove the leaves of some trees, according to literature.
"I haven't seen them defoliate leaves here," he said.
"In my opinion, I think they're probably more critical as turf and pasture pests.
"Everyone probably has them in their garden. The blackbirds are able to find the larvae when they're close to the surface and they dig 'em out from the tufts in the grass."
Leschen said there were thousands and thousands of species of beetles in New Zealand with many more yet to be discovered.
He decided to study natural history when he was a young biology student, "so I just gravitated to beetles, maybe because there's so damn many of them."
Leschen said his affinity for the insects evolved over time and was unrelated to a traumatic childhood encounter.
"I think I was three years old and I stuck my finger in its mandibles and this is quite a large beetle in the United States," he said.
"It bit me and I hated it. I was screaming and crying and I killed it.
"It didn't really influence me at all to work with beetles."
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.3% Yes
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15% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
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