Huhu grub hunt
In December 2021, Manpreet Dhami, Anna Bristol, and Te Awahohonu Forestry Trust trustee Serena O'Donnell went on the huhu grub hunt in the Trust's land, which has a mix of native and pine trees. They created a massive light trap using a large white plastic sheet and the bright lights from a 4WD. At night, adult beetles were attracted to (and somewhat disoriented by) the light, falling onto the sheet before being swiftly captured by the waiting scientists. During the day, larvae were also dug from fallen pine and beech logs.
In the lab
Once brought back to the lab, Natalie Forsdick and Manpreet dissected the grubs to look more closely at their gut and found that they were at least twice the grub’s length. From the gut, they extracted and compared the microbiome (bacteria and tiny fungi that live inside the gut) of the grubs collected from native (beech) with those collected from exotic (pine) trees. Given that huhu grubs remain in their grub stage for 3 years, their ability to digest wood is very important. Scientists expect that, as with humans, the microbiome will be different for those on different diets, but anything is possible!
A form of protein, which apparently tastes like a mix between beef and chickpeas, huhu grubs present an attractive alternative to beef and lamb. But to farm them efficiently, scientists need to know more about ‘how grubs tick’, and most importantly – if their microbiomes have anything to do with digesting different species of wood. They will keep looking into that, so we’ll keep you posted!
