| As its name suggests, this little beetle, Pyronota festiva, about 10mm long, feeds on manuka, which contains a strong oil, so it must be tough! The Maori called it kerewai or reporepowai from its habit of getting stuck in muddy stream banks (repo = mud, wai = water). It's a member of the Scarab family of beetles, and its larger relative, the green cockchafer, can be heard buzzing around wildly on summer evenings. |
