Bugs Migrate Like Birds

Migrating insects were thought to be at the mercy of the wind. Not always so, new research reveals.

In fact the flight behavior of some insects is similar to that of migrating birds in its sophistication, according to a summary of the research published Friday in the journal Science.

With data collected from radars that scan the sky for migrating insects, Jason Chapman of the Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, UK and colleagues show that high-flying moths and butterflies are able to select favorable winds and correct for drift, tactics that maximize the ground the insects cover and optimize their travel times.

The ability to understand and predict such migration strategies will become increasingly important since many migrant insects are important agricultural pests—and as the global climate changes, those insects are migrating to northern latitudes in greater numbers, the scientists point out.