As of July 1, 2020, the formal Wasp Watchers Program ended. However, interested volunteers can still monitor Smoky Winged Beetle Bandit wasp nests in order to look out for Emerald Ash Borer. Volunteers can use existing online data collection tools: iNaturalist to collect buprestid biodiversity data; and EDDMapS or Arrest the Pest to report Emerald Ash Borer infestations. For more information about the ending of this program, read the Sunset Notice.
The University of Minnesota's Wasp Watchers Program was a citizen science project (2014-2020) that engaged volunteers in the biosurveillance of emerald ash borer (EAB). For an up-to-date map of where EAB is found in Minnesota go to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s interactive EAB map.
This project was a collaboration with the University of Minnesota Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota Extension, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
