After the success of last year’s community surveillance event, the PEBN (Peri-urban Environmental Biosecurity Network) will host the ‘Toad at the Hive’ blitz again this summer. Backyard beekeepers and community members in peri-urban areas of the Hunter, Greater Sydney, South-East, and North Coast regions will be asked to keep a look out for cane toads and report their findings.
Cane toads can cause devastating impacts on our communities, native wildlife and ecosystems due to their ability to spread to new areas, use limited natural resources and to poison animals that try to eat them.
During the month of February, participants will be asked to look around backyard hives as cane toads love to eat bees.
You don’t need to have beehives to get involved! You can look in your own backyard, open areas, or local waterways (freshwater).
Your participation will help in the management of toad populations to lessen the impacts they cause. The data collected from reporting will help in identifying the presence or absence of cane toads in certain areas. The more people out looking the better chance of finding them quickly before they can establish.
What you will learn
‘Toad at the Hive’ participants will not only learn the importance of looking out for emerging pests like the cane toad, but they will also learn:
- how to identify a cane toad from a native frog
- what to do if they find one and
- how to report.
Register your interest to participate
Register your interest and further information on how to participate in the Toad at the Hive observation event..
You can also follow us on Facebook for updates.
The ‘Toad at the Hive’ observation event is a collaboration between the PEBN, NSW DPI Bee Biosecurity team, Local Land Services ‘Every Bit Counts’ program and recreational beekeeper associations.
