Bug Hunt Australia Frequently Asked Questions

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The Bug Hunt is a national citizen science program inviting people across the country to discover, photograph, and record insects and other invertebrates in their local environments. By sharing your observations on iNaturalist, you help scientists studying native species, track changes in biodiversity, and identify invasive species that may threaten ecosystems.

Everyone! Whether you’re a student, teacher, gardener, or just curious about the small creatures around you, you can join the Bug Hunt. No experience is needed — just curiosity and a camera.

Please note to have an iNaturalist account you must be 13 years+ or have parental permission.

In everyday language, ‘bug’ is a nickname for many small invertebrates (they don’t have bones, but sometimes an exoskeleton) like beetles, butterflies, spiders, worms, and snails. For the Bug Hunt, we welcome photos of all kinds of invertebrates — including insects, spiders, snails, worms, and other tiny critters you might find in soil or leaf litter.

Insects and other invertebrates are the foundation of healthy ecosystems — they pollinate plants, recycle nutrients, and feed birds, bats, and fish. Tracking their distribution and numbers helps us understand how our environment is changing, and spot invasive invertebrate species before they cause serious harm.

Invasive species are non-native organisms introduced by humans that spread rapidly and disrupt ecosystems. They outcompete native species, damage crops, and some are even harmful to human health, like red imported fire ants. Early detection through citizen science is one of the best ways to control their spread — your observations make a real difference! It was a member of the public that first spotted the polyphagous shot-hole borer in Perth, and 70% of fire ant detections are made by the public.

In iNaturalist, you can search under project for ‘Bug Hunt Australia’ and join the project. 

Joining the project shows your support and allows you to enter the prize draw for Bugs in My Backyard Week. 

Bug Hunt Australia is a ‘collection’ project in iNaturalist. This means you do not have to select to add to the project every time you submit an observation like you do with ‘traditional’ projects. All your invertebrate observations in iNaturalist are automatically added to the project. 

Not at all! All you need is a smartphone or camera to take clear photos. A magnifying lens can help for smaller insects, but it’s optional.

Your location will never be shared. The locations of your bug photos will be shared.  Sensitive species’ locations are automatically obscured on iNaturalist. You can also choose to obscure  your observation locations for privacy reasons.

Once your photo is uploaded, iNaturalist’s identification tools and community experts will help you learn more about each species — including whether it’s native, introduced, or invasive. They will often link to a wikipedia page about your bug. You can also learn more about bugs here. And you can learn more about invasive invertebrate species that are a threat to Australian wildlife and ecosystems here.

Visit the iNaturalist Help Center page on their website.

Upload your observation to iNaturalist and mark it clearly in your notes. If it matches a known invasive, our project moderators or local biosecurity experts will verify it and, if needed, notify the relevant environmental authorities. If you are really concerned you’ve found an invasive species of great concern, you can also report it via the national hotlines here.

We suggest you can record no more than once a day (every 24 hours) for each individual invertebrate sighting. Repeat (daily) sightings can help build a picture of behaviour over time.