Pantry Blitzers will be given a pest trap to place inside their pantry cupboard and asked to report their findings for one month to experts from the Agriculture and Food Division at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, for identification using the free reporting tool MyPestGuide™ Reporter.
Help boost our biosecurity defences.
Western Australia is lucky to have such a uniquely diverse environment. Our relative isolation has allowed us to enjoy freedom from damaging pests found in other countries. However as trade increases we become more vulnerable to the entry of exotic pests.
Pest surveillance in both rural and urban areas is vital to helping us detect and control pests before they can do lasting damage to our environment and agricultural industries. But we can’t stop all species at our borders and quarantine checkpoints.
The more people we have looking in the same place and reporting what they see the better we can build a snapshot of pests across the state. Every Pantry Blitz report we receive helps increase the value of our pest surveillance data and ultimately helps boost our biosecurity defences.
Sign Up Now!
After registering online, participants will receive a free trap in the mail which is placed inside the kitchen pantry. Observations are sent to experts once a week using either MyPestGuide™ Reporter, a mobile app available for iOS and Android or by reporting online via the MyPestGuide™ website. Experts at the department will acknowledge each report by identifying pests and providing information on your findings straight to your device. After the Pantry Blitz the community’s findings will be analyzed and published online. Pantry Blitzers will be kept up to date with the findings via a weekly newsletter.
This year the Western Australian Agriculture and Food Division is teaming up with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia to expand the Pantry Blitz across both states. Every report received counts, so join the thousands of citizen scientists across Western Australia and South Australia and help contribute to defending our biosecurity
The Pantry Blitz received grant funding from the Australian Government as part of the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Programme and is a part of the Royalties for Regions Boosting Biosecurity Defences project. Sign ups close 1 August.
Links
Sign Up for the Pantry Blitz 2017
Further information on MyPestGuide™
MyPestGuide community website
National Science Week website
Contact
Email: mypestguide@agric.wa.gov.au
Phone: 1800 084 881