Entomology Today [h/t Barclay Walsh]: “Early detection is critical to the eradication and management of invasive species, and curious members of the public play a key role by sharing observations on platforms such as iNaturalist. Integrating these sightings from a bug-curious public into ongoing biosecurity surveillance is an increasingly valuable approach for invasive species management. One recent example is the use of iNaturalist to augment surveys and outreach for the ongoing range expansion of box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) in North America. A public observation of this visually distinctive small moth on iNaturalist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was the first sighting on the continent. And two U.S. states, Michigan and Ohio, had subsequent observations on iNaturalist turn out to be the first finds in those areas, too, which then sped up and thus improved the state and federal response to box tree moth. Invasive species are a critical threat to the ecological and economic stability of our society. Early detection of newly introduced invasive species is a critical factor in the successful eradication and management of these pests and their impacts. Biosecurity surveillance is rightfully focused on detecting invasive pests early on in the invasion process, when populations are small and more easily managed. This includes the first arrival of a non-native species in a country or continent as well as appearances of distinct populations in new geographic locations therein, such as a nearby county or state. In either case, successful early detection is dependent in part on the number of observations; therefore, engaging more people and more diverse avenues of information gathering will increase the chance of catching something new at its earliest stage. Detecting these instances of invasive species is like finding a needle in a very large haystack—but, in this case, you may not even know what the needle looks like! Relying only on detection events from people that know what invasive species are, or what a specific one looks like, unnecessarily narrows the pool of people that can recognize these rare but important events. Curious members of the public can play an additional critical role in helping to identify these new invasion occurrences. And, crucially, background knowledge on what an invasive species looks like, or even what invasive species are at all, is not required. In our new article in Environmental Entomology, we highlight the role played by the general public in early detections of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in North America, both upon its first arrival and through subsequent appearances in new locations. We found that, starting with the first record in 1996, members of the public at large were responsible for over two-thirds of the first detections for this eye-catching invasive beetle pest!”

• Biodiversity observation platforms like iNaturalist or Observation.org since that time have revolutionized the passive surveillance landscape.