Living World – Insects
Here are links to Science Learning Hub resources for primary teachers related to insects in the Living World strand of the New Zealand Curriculum.
Investigate insects found in New Zealand to answer questions about life cycles, classification, conservation and biosecurity. Start by watching our webinar All about insects.
All about insects
Insects offer stimulating content with which teachers can feed student curiosity and grow science knowledge and capabilities.
The Super Insects article has all of Countdown’s Super Insect teacher resources available as free downloadables – including an overview poster, 10 activity cards and a cross-curricular activity bonus.
Native insects
The islands that make up this country are home to a vast number of species found nowhere else in the world. Learn about some of our native insects.
What’s so special about insects? – article
Insect taxonomy – article
Te aitanga pepeke – article
Aquatic insect life – article
Insects – physical characteristics – article
Label the insect – activity
Label the wētā – interactive
Label the cicada – interactive
The five most diverse insect orders – interactive
New Zealand aquatic insects – interactive
New Zealand's unique ecosystems – introductory article with links to media, articles and activities.
Glow-worms – article
Cave wētā – article
Wētā – article
Wētā
An example of one of the drawers full of specimens found at Landcare Research. This shows the range of wētā found in New Zealand.
Building homes for tree wētā – activity
Redesigning wētā houses – article
Vegetable caterpillar – article
Fred the thread – article
Science and literacy – using Fred the Thread – activity
Discovering new species – collection of resources based on Fred the Thread
Our elusive native butterflies – article
Middle Earth wasps – article
Insect antennae – article
Honeydew ecosystem (scale insects) – article
Insects and forest ecosystems – article
Honeydew: The Food of the Ngahere – video
Constructing food webs (scale insects) – activity
Insect mihi – activity
Moth collecting – activity
Identifying bugs – activity
Rearing insects – activity
Make a wanted poster – activity
City of bugs – Connected article
Life cycles
Insect life cycles have many similarities and differences, making them an ideal way to learn about life processes.
New Zealand native butterflies – article
Monarch butterflies – article
White butterfly life cycle – activity
Monarch butterfly life cycle – interactive
Rearing moths to observe life cycles – activity
Insect metamorphosis – image Glow-worm life cycle – image
Vegetable caterpillar fungi – video
Parasitoid wasp life cycle – article
Bees
Honey bee are the most important pollinators of many cultivated food crops and other flowering plants. See our bees topic for more.
Pollination – introductory article with links to media, articles and activities
Honey bee on flower
This honey bee has pushed its head into a flower to search for nectar. Pollen from the stamens will rub off on its body and get carried to another flower.
Pollination role-plays – activity
Honey to heal – introductory article with links to media, articles and activities
The Buzz of bees – article
Bees – fun facts – article
Bee-friendly insecticides – article
Honey bee heroes – article
Honeybees and Mānuka trees – article
People are doing heaps for kauri, kiwi and kākāpō but nothing for endemic butterfly species, yet insects are crucial to the ecosystem.
Jacqui Knight
Butterflies and moths
Almost all of the butterflies in New Zealand are native and most are endemic. Compared to big, colourful species from other countries, our native butterflies are small and secretive. See our butterflies and moths topic for more.
Investigating butterflies – introductory article with links to media, articles and activities
Rauparaha’s copper
The Rauparaha’s copper (Lycaena rauparaha) is said to be named after the famous warrior as its more heavily populated habitats are found along the coastal strip from Taranaki to Wellington where Te Rauparaha was most active.
Butterfly defense mechanisms – article
New Zealand butterfly origins – article
White butterflies – article
Establishing butterfly transects – activity
Tagging monarch butterflies for science – activity
Butterflies (lower primary) – unit plan
Butterflies (upper primary) – unit plan
Helping the butterflies of Aotearoa New Zealand – article
Ahi Pepe MothNet project – introductory article with links to media, articles and activities
New Zealand moths – article
Difference between butterflies and moths – article
Making moth identification guides – article
Our collection Kaitiakitanga and moths includes information and ideas about the pepe and pūrerehua of Aotearoa as well how children are learning about how to protect these amazing, secretive creatures.
Innovative ideas
Insects are used by science to inspire and solve a number of problems.
Plant & Food Research and Etec Crop Solutions – Pheromone-based-Insecticide – video
Where we’re controlling insects without the side effects that other control tactics seem to have is a very satisfying thing personally because it’s helping to green New Zealand even further.
Dr Max Suckling
Dung beetle mania – article
Dung beetles released on farms – article
and
Insects are both an issue and a solution when it comes to protecting New Zealand's natural and primary production environments. For more, browse the range of resources under the biosecurity and biocontrol topics.
Introduced pests:
White butterflies – article
German and common wasps – article
Whangarei fruit fly find a worry – article
Fighting a little bee mite – article
Improving Aotearoa New Zealand’s biosecurity detection – article (with a focus on the fall armyworm pest)
Bees and varroa
Watch varroa mites (white juveniles and brown adults) on honey bees and learn how they spread viruses that kill bee colonies. Dr Mark Goodwin of Plant & Food Research shows hives being treated to control the mite. Just as humans rely on honey bees for the pollination of many food crops, bees now rely on humans for their own survival.
Biocontrol success stories:
Bioforce – breeding bugs for biocontrol – article
Irish wasp to the rescue – article
Weevils eat pesky buddleia weeds – article
Monitoring
Find out what insects are in your local environment with these activities:
Citizen science projects
Participate in the New Zealand Mosquito Census and help scientists at Te Papa learn more about the various mosquitos in Aotearoa.
Global Earth Challenge is an international citizen science project that has a section on monitoring insect population changes.
More on insects
Hi tech drones copy nature’s design – article
New Zealand’s fish-eating spider – article
A spider preying on a fish
Dolomedes sp. preying on a mountain galaxias (Galaxias olidus) on the bank of North Branch Creek near Goomburra, Queensland, Australia.
Poison comes in small packages – article
Tree lobsters’ convergent evolution – article
Deformed bee wing virus – image
Gum leaf skeletoniser – image
Wasp versus ant – image
Useful links
Visit our Wasps and We love bugs! Pinterest boards for links to more resources and community activities.
The Entomological Society of New Zealand was formed to provide a common meeting ground for everyone interested in entomology in New Zealand. It aims to stimulate interest, encourage amateurs and promote the profession of entomology. They run the annual Bug of the Year contest.