Just In
· collected 2026-09-05 · by Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro and Eddie Williams
Scientists conducting a research project on the migration patterns of bogong moths have lost track of over 14,000 tagged moths that were released in February. According to Eleanor Drinkwater, an entomologist at Invertebrates Australia, this could be a positive sign for the population's health, suggesting there may be more moths than previously estimated. So far, no tagged moths have been found among the 50 light traps set up around Mount Kosciuszko. Despite the missing tags, online observations of untagged bogong moths have increased to over 2,700 sightings.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
More than 14,000 bogong moths, which were tagged as part of a research project to track their migration, have gone missing. The moths were tracked in February by researchers from Western Sydney University and Invertebrates Australia, who hung them in caves on Mount Kosciuszko. The goal was to document the moths' movements as they traveled from the New South Wales Snowy Mountains to their breeding grounds inland. However, despite a thorough search using 50 light traps, none of the tagged moths have been found. This outcome is actually seen as positive by researchers, suggesting that the population may be larger than expected. Now, scientists will rely on online observations from citizen scientists to track the moths' movements and create heat maps showing their migration patterns. The bogong moth's annual migration is a remarkable phenomenon, with billions of insects traveling thousands of kilometers each year to escape the summer heat.
Written for “Bogong Moth Conservation Efforts” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
In short:
More than 14,000 bogong moths tagged earlier this year as part of a research project tracing their migration have gone missing.
asserted
moths → tag → migration
Citizen scientists were recruited to document the moths' movements from the NSW Snowy Mountains to their breeding grounds inland.
What's next?
asserted
What → recruit → grounds
Scientists will use an increase of recorded online observations of untagged moths to track how the insects travel.
asserted
insects → use → moths
Every year, billions of bogong moths migrate across the country to New South Wales's Snowy Mountains to escape the summer heat.
asserted
billions → migrate → heat
In autumn, they leave their cool confines and travel thousands of kilometres back to their breeding grounds inland, but the route remains a mystery.
asserted
route → leave → grounds
In an effort to track their movements, researchers from Western Sydney University and Invertebrates Australia tagged more than 14,000 bogong moths hanging in the caves of Mount Kosciuszko in February.
asserted
researchers → track → February
Volunteers hoped to then track their movements by documenting the number of tagged moths found in 50 light traps set up around the mountains.
asserted
Volunteers → hop → mountains
But so far, none have been found.
asserted
none → find → ?
Missing moths a 'good' thing
Eleanor Drinkwater, an entomologist at Invertebrates Australia, said losing the tagged insects suggested the population could be in a healthier state than previously estimated.
uncertain
population → miss → state
"It's actually a good thing because the probability of sighting a tagged animal is dependent on how many there are in the population," Dr Drinkwater said.
"
asserted
Drinkwater → sight → population
In our case, it shows there might be more moths than we thought.
uncertain
we → show → case
There's also the chance that they're taking a different route.
asserted
they → be → route
"Oddly, it could be a good thing for the bugs not to do what you expect them to do."
uncertain
them → do → what
Bogong moths were once abundant across south-east Australia, but the native insect's numbers have fallen sharply in recent years.
asserted
numbers → fall → years
In 2017, the population crashed by as much as 99.5 per cent because of drought and climate change, and the species was listed as endangered in 2021.
asserted
species → crash → 2021
By tagging the peanut-sized insects and documenting their movements, researchers hoped to raise awareness about the need to protect the species.
asserted
researchers → tag → species
The moths were tagged using dabs of non-toxic paint or briefly sedated with carbon dioxide before tiny paper tags were attached to their wings using eyelash glue.
asserted
tags → tag → glue
The 'golden ticket' of moths
Kristi Bryant from Cooma was one of the volunteers enlisted to monitor one of 50 custom-built light traps installed across the mountains.
asserted
ticket → enlist → mountains
The lanterns attract and trap the moths in a safe place, allowing volunteers to check for a tag in the morning and release them unharmed.
asserted
volunteers → attract → them
Checking the lamp in the backyard has become part of her young family's morning routine.
"
asserted
Checking → check → routine
I was really excited throughout the whole thing, and I saw a lot of bogong moths, but none of them was tagged," she said.
"
asserted
she → see → them
It's like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, you want to find the golden ticket."
asserted
you → want → ticket
Online observations rise
asserted
observations → rise → ?
More than 2,700 untagged bogong moth sightings have been logged on the citizen science platform iNaturalist over the past 12 months, up from just over 1,000 observations in the previous year.
asserted
sightings → log → year
Researchers will now use the online observations instead of the tagged moths to create heat maps showing where the moths appear across the alpine landscape, which they will compare with weather patterns to see if there is a correlation.
asserted
they → use → patterns
Photos submitted to iNaturalist will also be used to train an artificial intelligence model to detect moths in footage captured by cameras in the mountains.
asserted
Photos → submit → mountains
The team also hopes to increase the number of lamps to 150 by next year.
asserted
team → hop → year
While no tagged ones have yet been located, moths have been spotted heading for the Alps again as temperatures start to rise.
asserted
temperatures → tag → Alps
"I don't have any theories as to where the tagged moths are, but I'm hoping they're living safe and happy lives and building more communities of bogong moths," Ms Bryant said.
asserted
Bryant → have → moths