Hi,

I dont know where to ask these questions, therefore I´m trying here.

Does anyone know of any people keeping your native insects? Do you need a permit to keep them or not? Are there any restrictions on them?

Would really appreciate if someone could answer my questions and maybe point me in the right direction so I can get in touch with some insect-keepers.

Thanks

Peter

there are only a very few species that need permits (the really endangered ones like giant and tusked weta, etc). I think a permit would be needed for katipo also because it is venomous, but I'm not sure. Apart for dedicated entomologicophiles few people bother keeping invertebrates, and most of those are just casual (they think it would be neat to keep weta or mantids or whatever). The insect-keeping scene here is vastly different from Europe's

mmm. I Keep natives- cave weta, tree weta, Katipo, Mantids, stick insects, avondale spiders, nursery web spiders, and a few others

I think the most serious trouble would be if you tried to collect them from a National Park or Dept of Conservation reserve etc. Big legal trouble

As for the common native insects that you can find in the back garden or on private land, generally no problems.

I have tree wetas getting into my shed, and sometimes even the house all the time. I'm not trying to keep them, they just wander in :-?

Like coelacanth said, there is no real organised insect collector society here, but if the kids want a pet weta/spider/stick-insect, they just go outside and catch one.

Cheers

Ian

This is one of my visitors 8)

And a baby one I found on my boot one morning.

wow thats cool

i want one

Are you sure...

5 secs after that picture the #$^#% thing bit me on the thumb. Didn't draw blood, but I sure felt it :lol:

I did go and put him back in a tree down by the stream though

Ian

lol

i think my parents would scream if they found it

My parents drew the line at centipedes :lol:

giant ones? Giant centipedes are cool pets

giant ones? Giant centipedes are cool pets

Yeh....ill have them one day............in my fish room

my grand dad used to have a 12 inch weta, he didnt keep it in a tank or ne thng like that, it lived under his tool shed and over the years he trained it to come out at 5.30pm sharp every day to eat from his hand

giant ones? Giant centipedes are cool pets

Yeah love giant ones, played with them when I was in South Africa, they are awesome!

I keep weta in my garden

ive never seen weta down here

Do you have a garden?

Have you made homes for them?! (ie bits of wood etc?)

The Canterbury tree weta is very endangered, and does not occur within the city (its on Banks Peninsula). Do not go catch any. There are ground weta in Chch though which are perfectly acceptable.

Some big trees, hedges or ivy seem to really attract them. Small well tended gardens dont have enough hiding places to keep them safe from cats and birds. The more 'wild' the garden the more bugs it will attract.

Thats my excuse anyway.

Cheers

Ian

I´ve got some hints that it might be impossible to export non endangered insects from NZ. Does anyone know for a fact how it works?

Regards

Peter