Overview
- Large swarms were recorded across Sydney, the NSW south coast, Canberra and other parts of eastern Australia in late September, with hundreds to thousands of reports logged on iNaturalist, Bogong Watch and Moth Tracker.
- Citizen science platforms have seen spikes in submissions this season, with monitoring projects reporting more sightings in one month than in recent years.
- Scientists link the surge to better breeding‑season conditions after recent rains and to northwesterly winds that can push moths toward the coast and into urban lights.
- Bogong moths move nutrients into alpine ecosystems and are a key food source for species such as the mountain pygmy‑possum, but researchers warn the IUCN‑listed endangered species still faces long‑term threats from warming alpine refuges, drought, land use and pesticides.
- Authorities urge people to switch off unnecessary outdoor lights, avoid insecticides, keep cats indoors and submit photos to monitoring projects as researchers expand tagging, isotope and field surveys to learn whether the rebound is sustained.