The key to early detection of invasive insects? A curious public with smartphones

Annapolis, MD; November 18, 2024—The next time you see an interesting bug, take a photo on your smartphone, and post it online. You just might catch an invasive species new to your area.

That's the call to action a group of entomologists are issuing to the public, in conjunction with advice to fellow scientists to monitor public observations, in a new article published this month in Environmental Entomology. Platforms like iNaturalist, Observation.org, and others allow users to post images of animals and plants with no prior knowledge of the potential importance or impact of what they're seeing, and experts within the fellow user community can provide identifications. Such "passive surveillance" is playing an increasingly common role in early detection of invasive species.

"More people involved will create more raw observations, and more raw observations increase the probability of early detection of something important," say the authors Amanda D. Roe, Ph.D., of the Canadian Forest Service; Leigh F. Greenwood, of The Nature Conservancy; and David R. Coyle, Ph.D., of Clemson University.

They call it "catching invasives with curiosity." And, indeed, even before the advent of smartphone-enabled nature observations, first detections of many significant invasive insects were made by members of the public. As Roe and colleagues explain, in the case of the first-ever observation of Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in the United States, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, noticed unusual damage on maple trees in his neighborhood in 1996. He then caught an adult beetle, which he reported and provided to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Since then, 12 additional infestations of the invasive forest pest have been found in North America, and a member of the public was the first detector in two-thirds of those cases.

Public observations have also initiated discoveries in recent years of the elm zigzag sawfly, spotted lanternfly, boxtree moth, northern giant hornet, yellow-legged hornet, emerald ash borer, and Jorō spider.

The community of scientists and professionals who work to detect and respond to invasive species use a variety of tools and strategies, many of them highly targeted or reliant on trained experts. But public observations are a key piece of the puzzle—perhaps especially so for insects. "Passive surveillance does not replace active surveillance for invasive species; rather, it widens the surveillance net, substantially augmenting and broadening existing biosecurity frameworks," Roe and colleagues write.

They report that some entomologists are already building informal methods for monitoring public biodiversity observations through existing applications, and the authors recommend that scientists and government agencies invest in building more integrated alert systems, codify data-mining efforts, and communicate that they are following ethical frameworks when using public data. Research and experience from past invasive species incursions have shown that, the earlier an arrival is detected, the better the chances of containing or eradicating the invasive species—thereby decreasing impacts on ecosystems, the economy, and human health.

For people who want to get involved, iNaturalist is the world's largest platform for public biodiversity observations and is the leading North American system. Observation.org is a strong alternative, and more commonly used in Europe. Meanwhile, BugGuide.net focuses specifically on insects and arthropods. And, in the U.S., many university extension programs offer insect identification services, as well.

If members of the public answer the call to share more insect and arthropod observations of all kinds, entomologists must be ready to use them, Roe and colleagues say.

"Increasing the number of observers (and observations) will ultimately improve invasive species surveillance," they write. "So the invasive species surveillance community should strive to develop a holistic approach to biosecurity that fully embraces the curious public as invasive species early detectors."

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"Catching invasives with curiosity: the importance of passive biosecurity surveillance systems for invasive forest pest detection" was published online on November 8, 2024, in Environmental Entomology. Read the article at https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae082.

CONTACT: Joe Rominiecki, jrominiecki@entsoc.org, 301-731-4535 x3009

ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit www.entsoc.org.

Environmental Entomology publishes reports on the interaction of insects with the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of their environment. For more information, visit https://academic.oup.com/ee, or visit www.insectscience.org to view the full portfolio of ESA journals and publications.