Agriculture Victoria Connect

    The Great Biosecurity Quest

    The Quest continues!An animated image of a character waving with a signboard saying "I'm Aggie, the biosecurity quest mascot"

    Thanks everyone for taking part in the 2024 Great Biosecurity Quest! This year our Great Biosecurity Quest expanded, with visits to community field days and road shows bolstering our online Quest. We were joined by a lot of people who were keen to learn more about biosecurity, become Watchout Warriors, and play a role in protecting our beautiful natural landscapes.

    We all have a part to play in protecting Victoria’s biosecurity so that we can continue to spend time in the great outdoors, enjoy clean and safe food and protect the agricultural industries that provide so much for us all.

    As a Watchout Warrior, we ask you to continue keeping an eye out for unwanted pests and diseases when you’re out in the backyard, at parks and out in nature. These small actions can have a big impact on protecting Victoria.

    Aggie is enjoying seeing our Watchout Warriors explore and stay on the lookout for biosecurity pests and diseases, with reports still coming in. Check out the link below if you have something to share and continue to keep an eye out.

    Join the Quest to find stink bugs

    An animated character standing next to a leaf with a stinkbug on it.

    As a Watchout Warrior, we need you to keep an eye out for unwanted pests and diseases when you’re out in the backyard, at parks and out in nature. This year our focus is the invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). You can download our citizen science stink bug toolkit which will help you to identify the different stink bugs you might find.

    Don't forget if you see a BMSB, or any other biosecurity pest, be sure to report it immediately. See our biosecurity reporting page for more information on how to report.

    Field days and events

    Agriculture Victoria staff at a biosecurity quest event

    Aggie and the Ag Vic Biosecurity team have finished up our field events and road shows for this round of our Great Biosecurity Quest. Our Team attended events across many areas including Wandin Silvan, Maroondah, Red Hill, and Melton.

    It was so fantastic to meet you all and see so many people interested and learning about Biosecurity and specifically Stink Bugs for this Quest.

    Thank you all for being involved.

    Keep your eyes peeled for our next Quest that will be announced in the coming months, and we look forward to having more and more of the community involved.

    Image describes how to take part in the Biosecurity Quest. Step One - Grab a magnifying glass or phone with a zoom function or app if you can. Step Two - Download or print the toolkit to help you to identify plant pests. Step Three - Keep an eye out! Be on the lookout when you're out in nature. Step Four - Come back and tell us your results. If you think you have found a biosecurity pest, make sure you report it.

    Join the Great Biosecurity Quest on iNaturalist

    The iNaturalist app is a great place to record what you find when you’re out in nature. Not only does it help you to identify any plants and animals you find, but you are also contributing to a global dataset to assist science and conservation.

    This year for the Great Biosecurity Quest we have set up a project on iNaturalist to collect records of stink bugs in Victoria. By joining the project and recording any sightings, you can contribute to knowledge about native stink bugs, and also keep an eye out for any invasive pests.

    Visit the iNaturalist project page

    Download the Atlas of Living Australia guide to iNaturalist

    Pest trapping activity

    A hanging trapThis year as part of the Quest we asked people to sign up to our pest trapping activity – participants were sent an insect sticky trap to put in their garden, and asked to report back with photos of the trap, through the MyPestGuide app.

    Thanks everyone who took part in our Great Biosecurity Quest trapping activity!

    Luckily, none of the reports showed any damaging invasive pests, and the gardeners who participated were able to hear back from our entomologists about the kind of insects they are seeing in their gardens. This activity provided great data and information for Biosecurity Victoria, and we are keen to run this activity in future years as part of the Great Biosecurity Quest.

    In Victoria, we have a beautiful natural environment and a thriving agriculture industry, and we all have a responsibility to protect them.

    Play your part in the Great Biosecurity Quest. You can become a Watchout Warrior by keeping an eye out for potential risks and together, we can work to reduce the threat of diseases and pests in Victoria.

    Visit the Agriculture Victoria website to find out more.

    Make a biosecurity report

    Getting involved helps you learn about biosecurity threats, so you know what to report and how to report it if you ever come across one.

    If you need to make a biosecurity report you can do that through our website or the emergency pest and disease hotlines.

    Make a report

    Looking for other ways to get involved in biosecurity and citizen science?

    Visit our Get Involved page!

    Get involved

    We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal Owners of Country throughout Victoria, their ongoing connection to this land and we pay our respects to their culture and their Elders past, present and future.