The Entomological Society of New Zealand is proud to launch the second ever Bug of the Year 2024 competition with 20 incredible nominees vying for the top spot.
Who will steal the crown from the ngaro huruhuru native bee?
Aotearoa is home to thousands of fascinating insects, spiders, slugs, snails, centipedes, springtails and other “bugs”. These bugs make up more than half of our animal diversity and many of them are found nowhere else on the planet! Bugs are vital for the health of our ecosystems: they are food for our birds and fish, they pollinate our crops and flowers, and they keep our soils aerated, our waste decomposed and our backyard buzzing.
While a few of our nominees might seem familiar from last year, we highlight a much broader diversity of “bugs” on our nominee list (we have representatives from 3 phyla (Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Onychophora), 5 Classes, 14 Orders, and 19 Families). Nine of our nominees have populations that are threatened, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to share their stories.
Voting will open 1 Jan 2024
Ngaro Huruhuru – Native Bee (Leioproctus fulvescens) is the FIRST to be crowned New Zealand Bug of the Year 2023!!!
Don’t see your favourite bug on the nominee list this year? You can recommend bugs anytime and we will consider those recommendations for future years.
did you find a new bug? inaturalist.nz can help you identify it!
