ARE you a budding entomologist, or perhaps have one in your family?

Christmas beetles offer many fond memories for community members, an indicator that summer was here and there was usually some relaxation time owed.

Ted Lourey, local Nambucca resident, reminded News Of The Area, “Remember years ago, when you sat out at night, around Christmas, the lights constantly were bombarded by beetles?”

People across Australia may have observed that they have not sighted the beetle as much, or perhaps not at all.

Mr Lourey said, “Unfortunately there has not been a proper study to know if numbers are decreasing, but anecdotal evidence across the country indicates that there is a decline.”

Scientists have suggested a variety of reasons that may explain the declining numbers of the Christmas beetle, including the increased use of broad-spectrum insecticides and pesticides, habitat change with the reduction in native bushland and grasslands, and climate change.

Entomologist Professor Tanya Latty, University of Sydney, told the ABC, “Applying any sort of curl drum killer or insecticides to the soil is generally not a good idea for any gardener.

“Most of those chemicals are broad-spectrum, which means they will affect a large range of insects and it also mucks up the soil ecosystem.”

To track whether their numbers are dwindling, a new online study has been launched on the iNaturalist Australia website.

Interested community members are invited to take part in the study.

iNaturalist Australia is the Australian node of iNaturalist, a social biodiversity network, which offers a place to record plant, animal and fungi sightings.

https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/ or there is an iNaturalist app available.

On the website go to ‘Community’, and type in ‘Christmas beetle’ for more information.

 

By Rachel MCGREGOR-ALLEN