Insect butts

The South Island’s beech forests (Nothofagus species) play host to a species of aphid-like scale insects. These scale insects attach themselves to trees and suck up sugar from the tree’s vascular tissues. The fluid ingested is so rich in sugar that the scale insects secrete it, providing a high-energy food source to other forest life, including tui, bellbirds and kaka. The excess sugar is also food for the sooty mould fungus that can be seen in this photo. Look closely at the right-hand side of the photo and you’ll also see a fine filament hanging off the mould. This is a scale insect’s anal tube and there’s a drop of honeydew at the end of it. Yes, the South Island’s beech forests are full of insects dripping sweet nectar from their butts.