; ▁snow ▁pack s ▁at ▁the ▁sum mit ▁are ▁often ▁covered ▁with ▁hundreds ▁of ▁them . ▁When ▁the ▁snow ▁mel ts , ▁w ē ki u ▁bugs ▁can ▁be ▁found ▁at ▁the ▁edge ▁feed ing ▁on ▁insect s ▁that ▁drop ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁mel ting ▁snow . ▁They ▁have ▁an ▁ant if ree ze ▁protein ▁in ▁their ▁blood ▁that ▁allows ▁them ▁to ▁surv ive ▁at ▁low ▁temper atures . ▁ ▁Conserv ation ▁ ▁The ▁stability ▁of ▁w ē ki u ▁bug ▁populations ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁matter ▁of ▁controvers y . ▁Development ▁of ▁the ▁sum mit ▁area ▁of ▁Ma una ▁Ke a ▁for ▁teles cop es ▁has ▁advers ely ▁affected ▁the ▁e col ogy ▁of ▁the ▁area , ▁including ▁comp action ▁of ▁the ▁loose ▁c inder ▁and ▁traffic ▁from ▁tour ism . ▁Bey ond ▁the ▁immediate ▁vic inity ▁of ▁the ▁sum mit ▁the ▁bugs ▁inhab it ▁other ▁con es ▁that ▁are ▁well ▁removed ▁from ▁activity . ▁ ▁Sur ve ys ▁by ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Hawai i ▁have ▁shown ▁populations ▁to ▁be ▁stable ▁with ▁population ▁variations ▁driven ▁by ▁precip itation ▁on ▁the ▁sum mit ▁area . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁on going ▁population ▁monitoring ▁a ▁request ▁to ▁list ▁the ▁species ▁as ▁end anger ed ▁was ▁decl ined ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 1 . ▁ ▁The ▁common ▁name ▁is ▁also ▁used ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁the ▁closely ▁related ▁N ys ius ▁aa , ▁which ▁occup ies ▁the ▁same ▁n iche ▁on ▁Ma una ▁Lo a . ▁It ▁is ▁even ▁more ▁poor ly ▁known ▁than ▁N