19 May 2023

Woman finds wood-eating beetle in tray from Northland Kmart

From Checkpoint, 5:34 pm on 19 May 2023

A woman who bought a wooden tray from Kmart in Northland got more than she bargained for when she discovered it contained wood-eating beetle.

The $20 Acacia Serving Tray is now being recalled after Michelle Reichardt alerted the Ministry for Primary Industries. It's been identified as Lyctus Africanus, also known as the the African powderpost beetle, a species not found in New Zealand.

Michelle told Checkpoint producer Matthew Theunissen what happened.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says Kmart has recalled the trays pending further investigation and the infested item has been securely destroyed. No new reports of borer activity have been notified.