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Low-Cost Automated Flight Intercept Trap for the Temporal Sub-Sampling of Flying Insects Attracted to Artificial Light at Night

Low-Cost Automated Flight Intercept Trap for the Temporal Sub-Sampling of Flying Insects Attracted to Artificial Light at Night

Published on: December 29, 2021

Nocturnal insects use optic flow for flight control.

Emily Baird¹, Eva Kreiss, William Wcislo

¹Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. emily.baird@cob.lu.se

Biology Letters

|February 11, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Nocturnal bees like Megalopta use optic flow for flight control in dim light, similar to diurnal insects. However, they process visual cues differently, increasing groundspeed when motion cues are reduced.

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Area of Science:

Insect behavior
Sensory ecology
Neuroethology

Background:

Flying insects navigate cluttered environments using optic flow to detect and avoid obstacles.
Nocturnal insects face challenges in obtaining visual information for flight control due to dim light conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether nocturnal flying insects utilize optic flow cues for flight control in low light.
To compare the flight control strategies of nocturnal bees (Megalopta genalis) with diurnal bees (Bombus terrestris).

Main Methods:

Recorded flight paths of Megalopta genalis in an experimental tunnel with varying optic flow conditions.
Manipulated visual texture on tunnel walls to control horizontal optic flow cues.
Repeated experiments with diurnal bumble-bees (Bombus terrestris) for comparison.

Main Results:

Megalopta increased groundspeed when horizontal optic flow cues were reduced.
The centered position of Megalopta within the tunnel was not affected by differential optic flow between walls.
Diurnal bumble-bees showed different responses to optic flow manipulation.

Conclusions:

Nocturnal bees rely heavily on vision for flight control, even in dim light.
Megalopta uses visual cues differently compared to diurnal insects, suggesting adaptations for nocturnal navigation.