Identifying "UFOs" in Mooloolah River National Park: combining entomologist-led surveys with citizen science to document flowering plant-insect interactions

Fundamental to pollinator conservation is surveying pollinators and their interactions with flora. Sweep netting has been found to be the most effective method for surveying pollinators and their interactions, however different sweep netting techniques may yield different results. Additionally, citizen scientists can aid in collecting data. We created the “Identifying UFOs in Mooloolah River National Park” project, a collaboration between an entomologist, Landcare coordinator, and citizen scientists, which aimed to assess effectiveness of different sweep netting methods, and provide citizen scientists the opportunity to learn how to conduct standardized monitoring of insect-flower interactions. Surveys were conducted monthly from Sept 2023 – March 2024. Along a transect, an entomologist trialled three sweep netting techniques: targeted sweep-netting (TSN), floral sweep-netting (FSN), and line transect sweeps (LTS). Citizen scientists then were assigned a target plant and conduct 30 minutes observations. Thirty-eight species, comprising 155 specimens of insects were collected by the entomologist, with the greatest number collected by TSN. All native bees were collected by TSN. Citizen scientists recorded 294 observations of arthropods (insects and arachnids). The most frequently observed were ants (104), followed by beetles (36); native bees were comparatively under-represented. In conclusion, projects such as this provide citizen scientists an opportunity to undertake research that mirrored ecological surveys, however experienced entomologists should be included for targeted taxon surveys. The datasets here include: Appendix A. UFO Identification team citizen science plant and insect visitor data Appendix B. Pollinator-plant networks per month from TSN surveys Appendix C. Citizen scientist participant feedback.