It makes you a little dizzy looking at those insects. Why do they fly so erratically? Are they looking for (or catching) something we cannot perceive? And it’s also a tough one to knock one out of the air when it keeps you from sleeping due to the buzzing, for example! And … don’t those insects themselves get a bit dizzy by flying in such a zigzagging manner?
Answer
Many species of insects, including many of the flies, mosquitoes and moths you mention, search for food, as well as mates to mate with, based on scent (they pick up this scent through their antennae). In that case, it’s best to search your environment, which explains why they don’t just fly straight from point A to point B, or just stay stationary in the air. Insects are also cautious, so even if they have pinpointed a potential target, they will fly around it for a while to make sure the coast is clear. That all explains the flight behavior you describe.
Answered by
Jan Van den Bussche
computer science bioinformatics ecology
Agoralaan University Campus Building D BE-3590 Diepenbeek
http://www.uhasselt.be/
.