By Dr Larissa Braz Sousa
Growing up in a tropical climate in Brazil, mosquitoes were a constant presence —mainly a nuisance, especially during summer or the wet season. Avoiding their bites was my daily mission during school holidays. It wasn’t until I joined the Mozzie Monitors program when I started my PhD in South Australia, that I truly began to see these tiny creatures as something more than pests. They’re fascinating indicators of environmental change, and monitoring them can have a real impact on public health.
Photo: Mozzie Monitors trap, provided by Larissa Braz Sousa
Launched in 2018 by Professor Craig Williams in South Australia, Mozzie Monitors has been running for six years. This is a citizen science initiative that engages people in real-world research about mosquito populations. It provides mosquito traps to the community to collect these tiny (not-always-welcome) visitors from their backyards and send photos of their catch using a specially designed tip card. Researchers then count and identify the species and make the data available. People can also participate in the online Mozzie Monitors project on iNaturalist and share photos of any mosquito encounters. This valuable data helps researchers understand how mozzies are distributed in Australia, as well as population size.
You might be asking: why is this important? About 30 species of mosquitoes (out of the over 350 species of mozzies in Australia, and over 3,000 in the world) are related to the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases in the country. Ross River Virus, Murray Valley Encephalitis and Japanese Encephalitis are some examples of mosquito-borne diseases. Monitoring mosquito species helps us understand the risks of disease outbreaks. More than that, it also informs us about the risks of emerging or re-emerging diseases like Dengue fever and Malaria.
Photo: Striped Mosquito (Aedes notoscriptus), (c) Geoffrey Cox (CC BY-NC).
Since its establishment, Mozzie Monitors collected over 15,000 mosquitoes using the traps and uploaded over 7,000 observations on iNaturalist. The program spread to every state and territory in Australia, and learning outcomes were recently published from this engagement. Through this hands-on project, community members learned to spot key urban species in their backyards, while also gaining valuable insight into mosquito-borne diseases and prevention methods. They not only learned to identify mosquitoes, but also changed their behaviour in managing mosquito populations in their backyards by checking for eggs and larvae.
In Term 4 of 2024, Mozzie Monitors expanded into NSW schools, bringing students and teachers on board as citizen scientists. The program gives them the chance to set mosquito traps, collect data, and analyse the species living in their own schoolyards. More than just trapping mosquitoes, it’s about uncovering a deeper understanding of biodiversity, public health, and how we can make a difference.
Beyond the science, Mozzie Monitors has sparked curiosity and engagement in unexpected ways — as one regional student excitedly told us after photographing mozzies under the microscope: ‘This is my favourite part of Science class!‘. That kind of interest is exactly what we aim for: helping students see insects through a new lens, carefully observing the creatures around them. Projects like this can also spark a sense of nature connection and help them understand these mozzies’ important roles in our ecosystems.
Mosquitoes, though often seen as nothing more than nuisances, are also important pollinators and have multiple ecological roles. Adult mosquitoes and larvae serve as a food source for a variety of animals, including birds, bats, lizards, fish and frogs. They also play an important role as pollinators for many plant species. By participating in Mozzie Monitors, students and communities are not only contributing to scientific data but also learning how to better protect their surroundings and their health. Over time, the lessons they take home — like removing stagnant water and monitoring mosquito activity — can make a big difference.
At its core, Mozzie Monitors is about making science accessible and engaging, encouraging students to become active participants in their own learning. Whether in the classroom or out in the field, this program fosters curiosity and empowers students to take action.
If you’re interested in bringing Mozzie Monitors to your school or community, we’d love to help! Together, we can turn everyday observations into meaningful scientific contributions, one mosquito at a time. Contact us if you want to participate in Term 4 2024 or Term 1 2025.
Learning By Doing 