Bug FAQHuhu
Prionoplus reticularis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cerambycidae
Also called: Huhu beetle
Source: Wikipedia
Adults grow up to five centimetres and larvae can reach up to seventy millimetres. They live throughout New Zealand, up to 1,400 m altitude, and the larvae feed inside dead wood of trees. The larvae are a forestry pest, so logs are treated before export to stop spread.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle is large and visually distinctive, with adults up to five centimetres long.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults reach about five centimetres (two inches) in length. Larvae can grow to fifty-seventy millimetres (two to 2.8 inches).
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Because the larvae feed on logs, they are considered a forestry pest. New Zealand requires logs to be fumigated or heat-treated before export to prevent spread.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
If something touches their mandibles they can bite and latch onto it. The bite can cause loss of the contacted appendage.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Heat treatment is also used to kill the beetles in logs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found across New Zealand, even at elevations of 1,400 m (4,600 ft). The larvae burrow and feed in dead wood of trees.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed mainly on dead gymnosperm wood such as rimu and Monterey pine; adults do not eat.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The adult stage lasts roughly two weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are nocturnal and strongly attracted to artificial lights. Mating usually occurs between 10 pm and 1 am.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The huhu beetle is endemic to New Zealand and occurs widely there.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The fairy wasp Prionaphes depressus parasitises the beetle’s eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Do huhu beetles bite?
Yes, they can bite when their mandibles are touched and may latch onto the object.
Source: Wikipedia
How long do huhu beetles live?
The larval stage lasts one to two years, while the adult lives about two weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are huhu beetles found?
They are widespread throughout New Zealand, up to 1,400 m altitude.
Source: Wikipedia
Are huhu beetles a problem for wood products?
The larvae feed on dead wood and are considered a forestry pest, so logs are treated before export.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cerambycidae)
House LonghornHylotrupes bajulusCan damage your home
Asian Longhorned BeetleAnoplophora glabripennisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red Milkweed BeetleTetraopes tetrophthalmus
White-spotted SawyerMonochamus scutellatusCan damage your home
Red Pine Longhorn BeetleStictoleptura rubra
Spotted Longhorn BeetleRutpela maculataDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huhu_beetle
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.