Automated monitoring of insects system: building a non-lethal and scalable solution for monitoring of nocturnal insects

There is growing evidence that human-induced climate change and habitat loss are having negative impacts on insect populations. New technologies have a vital role in improving and expanding global biodiversity monitoring capacity to understand where change is happening and to support restoration.
Monitoring of insects traditionally needs entomologists in the field, but insect camera traps powered by AI are emerging as a scalable approach to monitoring semi-autonomously. These systems attract, detect, and identify insects using a Raspberry Pi, camera and UV lights. AI algorithms are also being developed by a network of researchers across the world to help with identification, notably in Europe and North America.
The first version of a system for monitoring nocturnal insects was developed by Bjerge et al. 2021. An Automated Light Trap to Monitor Moths (Lepidoptera) Using Computer Vision-Based Tracking and Deep Learning. Here we describe the second generation of the system as an open-source solution. This paper aims to enable anyone to build their own system, and to iterate and improve the design for their needs. This system captures images at set intervals or based on motion detection to monitor insects that are attracted to lights at night. The UKCEH Automated Monitoring of Insects system (UKCEH AMI-system) is an insect camera trap designed using a single board computer, USB camera and attractant lights as the primary components along with peripheral accessories to make an autonomous system capable of long-term deployment in the field. Nearly 200 UKCEH AMI-systems have been deployed to date in over 30 countries around the world.