INSECTS buzz about at much higher altitudes than previously thought, radar
studies have revealed. The discovery could change our notions about insect
migration.
鈥淧eople didn鈥檛 realise there was this kind of mass movement,鈥� says Jason
Chapman, an entomologist at the Institute of Arable Crops Research in
Rothamsted, Hertfordshire. Using a vertical radar beam, his team looked for
insects at heights of up to 1200 metres throughout Britain. At night, there was
a drop-off in numbers with altitude, as expected. But during the day, numbers
didn鈥檛 decline until around 740 metres. The researchers suspect insects fly high
to take advantage of stronger winds. Their results are being prepared for
publication.