Group curators
Tom August
- @tom_august
- | he/him
Alba Gomez Segura
Autonomous camera traps for insects provide a tool for long-term remote monitoring of insects. These systems bring together cameras, computer vision, and autonomous infrastructure such as solar panels, mini computers, and data telemetry to collect images of insects.
With increasing recognition of the importance of insects as the dominant component of almost all ecosystems, there are growing concerns that insect biodiversity has declined globally, with serious consequences for the ecosystem services on which we all depend.
Automated camera traps for insects offer one of the best practical and cost-effective solutions for more standardised monitoring of insects across the globe. However, to realise this we need interdisciplinary teams who can work together to develop the hardware systems, AI components, metadata standards, data analysis, and much more.
This WILDLABS group has been set up by people from around the world who have individually been tackling parts of this challenge and who believe we can do more by working together.
We hope you will become part of this group where we share our knowledge and expertise to advance this technology.
Check out Tom's Variety Hour talk for an introduction to this group.
Learn about Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects by checking out recordings of our webinar series:
- Hardware design of camera traps for moth monitoring
- Assessing the effectiveness of these autonomous systems in real-world settings, and comparing results with traditional monitoring methods
- Designing machine learning tools to process camera trap data automatically
- Developing automated camera systems for monitoring pollinators
- India-focused projects on insect monitoring
Meet the rest of the group and introduce yourself on our welcome thread - https://www.wildlabs.net/discussion/welcome-autonomous-camera-traps-insects-group
Group curators
- @tom_august
- | he/him
Computational ecologist with interests in computer vision, citizen science, open science, drones, acoustics, data viz, software engineering, public engagement
- 8 Resources
- 53 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- 9 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 9 Groups
DIY electronics for behavioral field biology
- 6 Resources
- 78 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @TaliaSpeaker
- | She/her
WILDLABS & World Wide Fund for Nature/ World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
I'm the WILDLABS Research Specialist at WWF-US
- 23 Resources
- 62 Discussions
- 25 Groups
WILDLABS & Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
I'm the Bioacoustics Research Analyst at WILDLABS. I'm a marine biologist with particular interest in the acoustics behavior of cetaceans. I'm also a backend web developer, hoping to use technology to improve wildlife conservation efforts.
- 27 Resources
- 34 Discussions
- 34 Groups
Worked as a mechanical engineer for a defence co, then software engineer, then for a research lab specialising in underwater robotics.
- 1 Resources
- 144 Discussions
- 16 Groups
Scaling biodiversity monitoring, using smart sensors and ai-pipelines
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 10 Groups
- @ahmedjunaid
- | He/His
Zoologist, Ecologist, Herpetologist, Conservation Biologist
- 63 Resources
- 7 Discussions
- 26 Groups
Octophin Digital
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @theindieg
- | he/him
Running a small electronic engineering company focused on large scale sensor networks. We have interest in bioacoustics with bat and bird recorders, as well as a host of environmental sensors.
- 0 Resources
- 16 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @amberbc
- | She/Her
The University of Western Australia & WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD)
WA Entomology PhD researching better ways to monitor for beneficials. GRDC Research Scholarship. DPIRD Study Leave.
- 6 Resources
- 14 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @Veektoor
- | HRH
Passionate about ants conservation
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @StephODonnell
- | She / Her
- 193 Resources
- 676 Discussions
- 32 Groups
- @Ednavarro
- | He/Him
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
Link
Sticky Pi: A smart insect trap to study daily activity in the field
Amber Balfour-Cunningham
Sticky Pis are scalable, smart sticky traps using a high frequency Raspberry Pi camera to automatically score when, which and where insects were captured. Author: Quentin Geissmann, 2023
29 April 2025
Link
Insect Detect: Build your own insect-detecting camera trap!
Maximilian Pink
Sharing this website that provides instructions on DIY hardware assembly, software setup, model training and deployment of the Insect Detect camera trap that can be used for automated insect monitoring. Authors:...
29 April 2025
Article
Applications are open until April 15th
14 March 2025
Careers
Up to 6 months internship position to work on DiMON project which aims to develop a non-lethal, compact device that, when coupled with traditional entomological traps, captures high-resolution, multi-view insect images...
25 February 2025
Article
NewtCAM observations
Xavier Mestdagh
NewtCAM is an underwater camera trap. Devices are getting deployed worldwide in the frame of the CAMPHIBIAN project and thanks to the support of our kind early users. Here an outcome from the UK.
24 February 2025
Funding
Osa Conservation is launching our inaugural cohort of the ‘Susan Wojcicki Research Fellowship’ for 2025, worth up to $15,000 per awardee (award value dependent on project length and number of awards given each year)....
10 February 2025
Article
Catch up on the highlights from our two-day Mothbox v4.5 workshop at Georgia Tech, where participants gained hands-on experience building and testing the Mothbox.
13 November 2024
Article
Paper by Natalie Klug et al
6 October 2024
Funding
Paid internship making software to ID moths
Andrew Quitmeyer
The AMI team in montreal is looking for a paid intern to do machine vision stuff!
3 July 2024
Careers
Fully funded PhD in AI biodiversity monitoring
Benno Simmons
Come and do the first research into responsible AI for biodiversity monitoring, developing ways to ensure these AIs are safe, unbiased and accountable.
11 June 2024
Funding
€4,000 travel grants are available for researchers interested in insect monitoring using automated cameras and computer vision
6 June 2024
May 2025
January 2025
October 2024
September 2024
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We have spent the past 9 months taking the lessons learnt from the AMI system to build an automated moth monitoring system... |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, Camera Traps | 12 hours 12 minutes ago | |
| The mothbox can currently be attached to a solar panel super easy (just plug in a barrel jack up to 20v 80 watts) and it charges the talentcell battery. We also monitor the power... |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 2 weeks 5 days ago | |
| Otherwise Australian Entomology Supplies has a few options available such as UV lights and black lights, such as a this portable UV lamp. They can ship internationally. |
+5
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 3 weeks 3 days ago | |
| I'm excited to announce that Outreach Robotics has finalized the development of our new insect camera traps, now officially named ... |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 4 weeks ago | |
| Hey Amber, that makes a lot of sense! And this effort by Insect Detect is amazing, thanks for sharing! |
|
AI for Conservation, Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 1 month ago | |
| Hi all, I'm Vainqueur BULAMBO. I'm looking for a fully funded PhD opportunity in ecological data science or conservation... |
|
Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
| @hikinghack that's a complete update!A lot of compassion regarding the budget situation, especially knowing how great @briannaljohns is.It’s great to see a clear plan for the... |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 2 months 1 week ago | |
| Thanks! Yes, we added electronics to power an external UV light only during periods when the camera is set to take pictures. |
+23
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, Camera Traps | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Me and @briannajohns field tested amphibious deployments for the Mothbox in cool jungle rivers!We designed the Mothbox to be super... |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
| featuring @briannajohns @hikinghack @Hubertszcz |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 3 months 2 weeks ago | |
| Sounds like so much fun. Would love to replicate this one out here in Cambodia |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 3 months 4 weeks ago | |
| Wow! What a start of the year! Congratulations! |
|
Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects | 4 months 1 week ago |
Second generation Automated moth monitoring system
22 May 2025 2:34am
Feedback on PCB for Mothbox
2 May 2025 8:50pm
3 May 2025 2:22pm
The mothbox can currently be attached to a solar panel super easy (just plug in a barrel jack up to 20v 80 watts) and it charges the talentcell battery. We also monitor the power with an adafruit INA260 which can tell if the voltage is getting low. Ideally if we get enough time that will get built into the PCB too!
Sticky Pi: A smart insect trap to study daily activity in the field
29 April 2025 3:25pm
Sticky Pi, a high-frequency smart insect trap to study daily activity in the field
This is the documentation for the Sticky Pi project, a system to study insect activity in the field.
Insect Detect: Build your own insect-detecting camera trap!
29 April 2025 3:21pm
Insect Detect Docs
Insect Detect: DIY camera trap for continuous automated insect monitoring - Documentation and build instructions
What is the best light for attracting moths?
17 October 2022 3:12pm
21 March 2025 12:21pm
I found this thread on inaturalist really helpful when considering options! Lots of cost effective set ups to consider. I only really do mothing, so this is moth specific, but perhaps helpful for other insects.
I love that folks also mentioned using an additional flashlight or outward facing light to draw in moths from farther away. I've tried that as well and it always seemed to boost the number of moths on my sheet.
For continuity, if the light goes away for more than a few seconds I feel like the spell is broken and they fly away. But this could be tested further. Curious if blinking makes a difference.
19 April 2025 12:59pm
For a cheaper, accessible option (Australia) I have found success with this set up recommended by the Entomological Society of Victoria for citizen science moth light trapping:
- Light: Gecko 50W Insect Control Replacement UV Lamp $34.13 AUD widely available at Bunnings (Hardware Store).
- Plug: E27 Cable Cord With Switch Au Light Bulb Holder Socket $15.00 AUD available online at Dick Smith (Home goods & Electronics Store).
28 April 2025 5:09am
Otherwise Australian Entomology Supplies has a few options available such as UV lights and black lights, such as a this portable UV lamp. They can ship internationally.
New Insect Camera Trap is Now Available!
23 April 2025 7:26pm
WILDLABS AWARDS 2024 - Enhancing Pollinator Conservation through Deep NeuralNetwork Development
7 April 2024 5:55pm
18 April 2025 10:33pm
Hi Kim,
That's really interesting! I didn't realize thermal worked with bees! Thanks so much for sharing that detail.
Liz
19 April 2025 12:40pm
Great work! Do you think the night time models also worked better due to lack of interference from shadows being counted? or maybe issues around a non-standard background.
If it helps, I believe the creators of InsectDetect which is open source, did a lot of work training their model to differentiate insect shadows vs. insects. Also after testing their smart trap on flowers, went with a standardised, non-lethal attractive background.
InsectDetect: Build your own insect-detecting camera trap!
20 April 2025 5:14pm
Hey Amber, that makes a lot of sense! And this effort by Insect Detect is amazing, thanks for sharing!
Looking for PhD position
6 April 2025 6:12am
Mothbox - Upcoming Features
7 March 2025 8:03pm
7 March 2025 10:02pm
Hey Andrew, sad to hear funding has run out, but some very interesting developments!
It may be worth a conversation, I could definitely help on some of the above points from an electronics standpoint!
8 March 2025 9:32am
Really nice to see all that creative energy at work! Keep it up 👍🏻❤️
10 March 2025 3:45pm
@hikinghack that's a complete update!
A lot of compassion regarding the budget situation, especially knowing how great @briannaljohns is.
It’s great to see a clear plan for the hardware development! I hope you'll have nice outcomes from it!
INTERNSHIP FOR COMPUTER VISION BASED INSECT DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION
25 February 2025 10:46am
NewtCAM observations
24 February 2025 7:06pm
New Affordable Autonomous Insect Camera Trap
14 January 2025 2:59pm
21 February 2025 7:30pm
On a similar topic, I'm curious about how technology like this could be adapted to terrestrial insects - such as pest beetles in agricultural fields. Any landscape level monitoring effort usually demands dozens if not hundreds of sites monitored over many days or weeks. At this scale, the costs add up, even with cheap devices.
From what I understand, a large part of the cost of these devices is the need for big batteries powering bright lights. Have you done any tests using sunlight alone? I can imagine that this would introduce variation in shadows based on the time of day, and that would make automated ID harder, but is this an insurmountable challenge?
23 February 2025 4:23pm
Very cool! Looks like a repurposed case for other wildlife cameras?
Do you have custom electronics?
24 February 2025 2:57am
Thanks! Yes, we added electronics to power an external UV light only during periods when the camera is set to take pictures.
Mothbox: Field Testing Amphibious Deployments on Jungle Rivers
23 February 2025 12:52am
Tropical fieldwork funding! Up to $15,000 -Susan Wojcicki Fellowship
10 February 2025 7:01pm
Mothbox Expedition Video - Preview
6 February 2025 8:44pm
6 February 2025 9:02pm
featuring @briannajohns @hikinghack @Hubertszcz
Big Mothbox Expedition!
23 January 2025 3:19pm
23 January 2025 4:44pm
@hikinghack and @Hubertszcz , you know how excited I am about this transect/sub-project so please, do take as many pictures and info as you can. Looking forward to reading from you!
24 January 2025 8:53am
Sounds like so much fun.
Would love to replicate this one out here in Cambodia
Mothbox Firmware and Software Updates (Moon, Weather, and Fun Features!) Jan 2025
14 January 2025 8:42pm
15 January 2025 3:15pm
Wow! What a start of the year! Congratulations!
User Friendly Whole-Image Labelling Software for Taxonomy?
16 July 2024 6:26pm
7 November 2024 12:29pm
We ended up building our own for using with bioCLIP where we just specify tags like "ORDER_Lepidoptera" "CLASS_Insecta" but would be cool to use an established schema
8 November 2024 11:22am
Very cool that you were able to do that!
15 November 2024 5:34pm
I have the same problem and "roll your own," has seemed the answer so far. If you do find a pre-existing solution, please share the info!
Mothbox Updates: Recap of our Mothbox v4.5 workshop in Atlanta
13 November 2024 2:24pm
From Scratch Tutorial on AI Object Detection
10 July 2024 2:32pm
6 November 2024 6:34am
Hmm that is odd! I had the understanding that the plugin like the one covered in the YouTube clip could do exactly that ! I must say that I have not used Fiftyone myself yet, though.
7 November 2024 1:20pm
oh maybe through some kind of plugin, but fiftyone itself kinda prides itself in not being able to change data, but rather just visualize and sort it kinda
8 November 2024 11:21am
I believe you can indeed export detections as json files - but I have yet to try it out myself! I have more than 500k events with images from our data collection and test of the polar bear camera alarm in the zoo, so I need some automated tools to assist with going throug and prepare the data for training.
Mothbox Updates v4.12
11 September 2024 5:27pm
15 September 2024 6:51am
Super effort. Nice reporting!
Mothbox Public Release
11 September 2024 4:56pm
Free Mothbox Making Workshop - Atlanta, GA
4 September 2024 3:34pm
AI and Ecology Research Infosession
1 August 2024 3:58pm
23 August 2024 9:44pm
3 May 2025 7:45am
Nice seeing what you are doing here. Those converters are nice, I’m using them with my portable thermal cameras.
do you have solar power intentions here ? If so, maybe you need a way to detect when the battery is almost out of power?