When it gets dark outside and you light a lamp, insects will come to that lamp very quickly. And if you hang a curtain in front of the window that lets light through and is not transparent, they will still come to the window. How did that happen?
Answer
Dear William,
In my studies I learned that some insects navigate relative to the moon. They fly at a certain angle to the moon. This works fine if you do it relative to the moon, but if the light source is much closer (such as a lamp or candle), that angle keeps changing. So they fly in a spiral until they eventually arrive at the light source itself.
In addition, it is also true that many insects can perceive UV light and are even more misled by this (I cheated by a UV lamp).
Regards
Stephan Boulez
Lecturer WO
Primary education training
Artevelde University College
Answered by
Stephan Boulez
Biology
http://www.arteveldehs.be
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