The Buzz Buggy: monitoring insect diversity and biomass in the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains are chock full of insects, each playing an integral role in this incredible ecosystem, but it’s hard to gauge how well our more than 10,000 species of documented insect species are faring without a consistent monitoring program. While the park has robust monitoring programs in place for aquatic insects, long-term monitoring for insects is spotty. Enter the Buzz Buggy, a pilot program and first step in developing a sustainable, long-term program for surveying and monitoring insects across the Smokies. We’re working in Cades Cove this summer (2025), comparing four different insect collection methods: a vehicle-mounted net and sticky traps, hand netting transects, and a Malaise trap (like a large tent for collecting insects). All work will be done under a National Park Service Research Permit (# GRSM-02287) in coordination with park officials.

Project title: Assessing declines in insect biomass and diversity in the Tallassee region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Principal investigators: Laura Russo (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville) and Will Kuhn (DLiA)

Funding provided by the Tallassee Fund