There’s nothing worse than tending a plant from seed to garden only to have it attacked by slugs or caterpillars. Now UK gardeners are being asked to take part in The Big Bug Hunt, which aims to take the guesswork out of when pests are going to hit.
The scheme gathers data so that forecasts can be produced saying when aphids are likely or slugs are expected to appear, giving gardeners the chance to put protective measures in place.
Described as a citizen science project, it’s being organised by garden app developer Growing Interactive, working initially with researchers from the University of York.
Gardeners upload details to The Big Bug Hunt website of sightings of both pests and beneficial things, such as bees and ladybirds.
This data is then used to work out patterns of when bugs first appear, how they spread and what influences this behaviour.
Five years after its launch, the scheme already has enough information from more than 20,000 people to start to predict the behaviour of common bugs. Organisers say the accuracy will improve as more data comes in.
“The more reports we get the better. Reports received across multiple seasons help to refine the results so we can make predictions to an even higher degree of confidence,” explains project co-ordinator Jeremy Dore.
The British weather has proved challenging though: “Last year’s Beast from the East brought snow and biting cold. Fast-forward a year and records for winter warmth have been smashed, leaving gardeners unsure of what pests to expect when.
“The Big Bug Hunt uses real-world observations across often contrasting seasons to identify the patterns behind the weather that predict when a pest will strike.”
Gardeners can report pest sightings on The Big Bug Hunt website where there are also guides to identifying bugs and tips on limiting their damage.
A pest prediction service is being developed and people who took part in last year’s survey will be the first to get emailed pest alerts this year. Anyone making an accurate report this year will be offered email alerts next year.
Eventually, the scheme will be part of the online garden planner at GrowVeg.com.
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