Bug Hunt Australia: Citizen Scientists Track Invertebrates to Combat Invasive Species

When Jess Ward-Jones was a child, roaming through nature every weekend in search of curious critters was a common occurrence.

"Bugs are my great love," she said, with a particular fondness for the velvet worm which "sprays Spider-Man slime out of their face".

"I just had this natural curiosity for looking at the life that lived around us in nature and how these tiny little beasties were the backbone to a healthy, natural ecosystem," she said.

Ms Ward-Jones is now a citizen science coordinator for Bug Hunt Australia and the Invasive Species Council, putting her expertise and passion to good use.

With just a phone and a curious eye, Australians from all walks of life are participating in the Bug Hunt, recording the invertebrates that live in their gardens, parks and bushlands.

The national citizen-science initiative is led by the Invasive Species Council and Invertebrates Australia.

Since launching in October 2025, more than 1 million observations of insects, spiders, snails and other invertebrates have been uploaded.

"It's just incredible that so many people really care and are really getting excited about this initiative," Ms Ward-Jones said.

"I think it tells you how easy and how accessible this project is while making a massive difference."

Young ones get involved

Participants are asked to take a photo of an insect or other invertebrate and upload the images and other observational information to the free iNaturalist app.

Approved insect experts in the community then identify and catalogue them for further scientific research.

"The best part is that these records go off to Atlas of Living Australia [Australia's national biodiversity database], where scientists at the CSIRO can learn about that bug," Ms Ward-Jones said.

"We have about 300,000 native species and 200,000 of those are undescribed by Western science."

Isabel loves exploring nature with her family and has taken part in the Bug Hunt on numerous occasions.

The six-year-old, along with her sister and parents, loves exploring Kangaroo Valley, Jervis Bay, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and local parks near their home in Sydney's east.

"My husband recorded wildlife in general on iNaturalist before we had heard of the Bug Hunt, and now we love to go out on the weekends and explore," Isabel's mother Erika said.

"If you can't get the kids out of the house, it's a great incentive — it's a good game for them.

"The girls are now really looking out for insects and going around through nature more."

The role of citizen science

Community observations have previously helped detect invasive species, including fire ants, yellow crazy ants and the invasive shot-hole borer.

Just last week, a new incursion of the invasive Asian honey bee was detected by citizen scientists and biosecurity experts around Brisbane.

It is a topical issue, particularly in northern NSW, amid the threat of fire ants crossing into and establishing themselves in the state from Queensland.

The primary threat is the human-assisted spread of infested materials, such as soil, mulch, hay and turf, with surveillance efforts continuing.

Ms Ward-Jones said invasive species had been a primary driver of 66 per cent of species extinctions since colonisation.

The benefit of the Bug Hunt is that if experts identify new invasive invertebrates that threaten biodiversity, they can immediately alert relevant authorities.

Ms Ward-Jones said it highlighted the important role citizen scientists played through everyday encounters with nature.

"Every observation adds another piece to the puzzle," she said.