Could a change in pesticide legislation be linked to this years Bogong Moths population explosion?

While soil moisture levels have been proven to be a key factor in the moth’s lifecycle, the general consensus for why Bogong moths declined so rapidly in 2017 was thought to be due to a combination of factors. Along with drought, the period saw increasingly more land turned over to cropping in their feeding/ breeding ground. With land use change comes a change in soil conditions and general site ecology. A decline in moth habitat is likely to have driven another nail in this iconic moth’s coffin. Pesticide use in cropping systems may have been another factor with chlorpyrifos being a key player in moth control up to 2024 when it’s usage was phased out.