Bug Hunt News

The Invasive Species Council and Invertebrates Australia are celebrating a major milestone for Australian citizen science, with more than one million observations of insects, spiders, snails and other invertebrates uploaded across Australia since the launch of Bug Hunt Australia in October 2025. Bug Hunt Australia encourages Australians to look, snap and report any creepy crawly they find in their backyard, local bush or park, turning everyday discoveries into valuable scientific data. Using the...

Blue Banded Bee (Amegilla (Zonamegilla) sp.) and Neon Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus nitidulus), credit: debtaylor142 | iNaturalist Thanks again to everyone who took part in the first Bugs In My Backyard Week from 17 – 23 November! The overall winner of the Bugs in My Backyard Week best image competition has been selected by Australian Geographic. Congratulations to iNaturalist user debtaylor142 for your stunning image of a Blue Banded Bee and Neon Cuckoo Bee. Chrissie Goldrick, Chair of the Australian...

Emma Johnson, ABC News, 9 Jan 2026. Queensland insect enthusiasts are using their cameras to help researchers study bug populations, as part of a national citizen science project. Bug Hunt, developed by the Invasive Species Council and Invertebrates Australia, is a new program that seeks to create a nation-wide catalogue of critters using the online platform iNaturalist. The project gathers pictures and observations from thousands of participants to create a database for scientists to monitor...

Thanks to everyone who helped create the first springtime snapshot of bugs across Australia! Over 40,000 observations of insects, spiders, snails and worms were submitted from 17 – 23 November by more than 4,800 iNaturalist users. Special shout out to the sixty-two bug hunters who recorded 100 or more bug observations across the week, and to the new users of iNaturalist who submitted their first observations. Congratulations to Dianne Clark who recorded the most species during the week...

18 November - 12pm AEDT Discover how biosecurity data are transforming the fight against invasive species in Australia. Register Now.

Learn about the new citizen science project focussed on our little critters AND how they can get involved. Watch now!

Australia’s newest citizen-science project, Bug Hunt Australia, has received one of the nation’s highest honours for nature - the Gold Tier Award ($50,000) at the 2025 Australian Geographic Society Awards for Nature.