News - Researchers discover why flying insects are attracted to light at night

Researchers may have solved the mystery of why flying insects are attracted to light at night and seem to move strangely around the source. A new study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, suggests that this behavior is due to insects mistaking light for an "upward" direction. Research shows that artificial light causes erratic flight and causes insects to constantly adjust their flight path, causing them to become dizzy and causing a response we think of as artificial light attraction. The researchers used high-speed infrared cameras to track the flight of insects—including moths, dragonflies, fruit flies and hawk moths—under different lighting conditions. They found that these insects adjusted their flight path so that their backs were towards the light source. When natural light sources such as the Sun are used, this reaction causes the insect to maintain a stable flight path, correctly oriented along the horizon.