HOW TO OBSERVE “BUGS”:

  1. Observe bugs from your backyard, balcony, porch or  window for AT LEAST 15 minutes, but you may count as long as you wish during the count period starting at 8AM on May 25, and finishing 4PM on May 29th.
  2. Make your best guess of what species you saw.  
  3. Note what the habitat was where you found the bugs (Inside, Porch/Balcony, lawn, old field, vegetable garden, decorative garden, forest or wetland/pond).  
  4. Describe how you found them (did you just look with your eyes or did you do something extra like leave a light on overnight to attract things).  
  5. Enter your observations online here, or complete the attached paper form and share it with us. Submit a new checklist for:
    1. Each new day
    2. Each new habitat
    3. Same day, same habitat if counted at a different time of day.
  6. When submitting your observations, you will be submitting using a google form.  If you are a student in the WRDSB please use your student email address when submitting your checklist.
  7. The first question will be the ‘Date’.  Please pick the correct date for your checklist from the drop-down menu. 
  8. You will be asked to describe the habitat, please pick one from the menu.  If you searched two habitats, submit what you found in each place as a different list.
  9. We would like to know how much effort you put into finding bugs.  There are a few simple things you can do that will increase the number of bugs you find (like leaving a light on overnight or using an ‘attractant’ or making a trap), please check all that apply from the list.
  10. On the form you will be given a list of the most common yard bugs in the Waterloo Region District School Board, ‘check’ all that you found.  If you observed a species that is not listed, please write it in as an ‘Other’, give the name you know or describe what it looks like in as much detail as you can.
  11. Please share with us your experience.  Write a short description of what you did in the comments section.  Did you see something you weren’t expecting?  Were you surprised by anything?
  12. When you are done, click the ‘Submit’ button! You should see a confirmation page that will give you the option of changing your submission if you think you made an error.  You should also get an email summary of your observations.
  13. Please share a photo of your bug hunting experience (especially interesting bug pictures) using the “Share a bug” form. 
  14. If you observe bugs again during the count period, submit another checklist!

 

Please read and remember to follow our ‘Bug Blitz Ethics’ guidelines (they are very similar to our Bird Watching Ethics) so that we can all participate in a way that is safe, not only for ourselves but our community and nature as well.