New research conducted by scientists from Imperial College London sheds light on the previous beliefs about the flight of nocturnal insects towards artificial light. It turns out that the common belief that insects are attracted to light is only partially true.
According to previous theories, insects fly towards light because they mistake it for an opening leading outside, where it is bright. Other theories suggested that insects use light as a navigational tool or are attracted to the warmth. However, the new study shows that insects are not actually drawn to light, but rather experience disorientation due to an evolutionary navigational mechanism.
Scientists analyzed the flight trajectories of nocturnal insects and discovered that the light source should be behind them, or above. This is because the brightest object at night should be the sky. However, numerous artificial light sources disrupt this mechanism in nocturnal insects.
Studies conducted in Costa Rica have confirmed these findings. Insects consistently directed their backs towards the light, even if it hindered their further flight and led to collisions. This discovery may also have broader implications, as excessive artificial light emission can negatively affect human health.
The conclusion from these studies is that light doesn’t attract insects but rather disorients them. Therefore, it is important to limit excessive artificial light emission, both for the sake of the environment and human health.
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The source of the article is from the blog anexartiti.gr