Assessing insect flight behavior in the laboratory: A primer on flight mill methodology and what can be learned

Authors: Naranjo, Steven

Submitted to: Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/19/2018
Publication Date: 1/28/2019
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6542281
Citation: Naranjo, S.E. 2019. Assessing insect flight behavior in the laboratory: A primer on flight mill methodology and what can be learned. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 112(3):182-199. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/say041.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/say041

Interpretive Summary: Dispersal is a key component in the population ecology and dynamics of insects and remains one of the most difficult and intractable ecological processes to study in the field. As a consequence, researchers have looked to laboratory methods for investigating the many factors that govern and impact an insect’s ability to move within its environment. A key tool in this effort since at least the early 1950s has been the insect flight mill. Nearly 260 studies have been published using flight mills covering almost 300 species in 61 Families and 9 Orders. This review explores the methodology and technology of tethered flight in insects using flight mills. The goal is to provide the reader with a historical context of the approach, an understanding of the available tools and technology, background on how best to apply these tools through a comparative lens, and to summarize the wide breadth of factors that have been explored to further our knowledge of insect flight behavior. Overall, it is hoped that the interested reader will understand the limits and benefits of flight mills, and will know where to find the resources, and perhaps collaborators, to pursue this line of study. This work will encourage broader use of this important research tool for solving agricultural problems related to the inter-crop movement of pest insects.

Technical Abstract: Dispersal is a key component in the population ecology and dynamics of insects and remains one of the most difficult and intractable ecological processes to study in the field. As a consequence, many researchers have looked to laboratory methods for investigating the myriad factors that govern and impact an insect’s ability to move within its environment. A key tool in this effort since at least the early 1950s has been the insect flight mill. Nearly 260 studies have been published using flight mills covering almost 300 species in 61 Families and 9 Orders. This review explores the methodology and technology of tethered flight in insects using flight mills. The goal is to provide the reader with a historical context of the approach, an understanding of the available tools and technology, background on how best to apply these tools through a comparative lens, and to summarize the wide breadth of factors that have been explored to further our knowledge of insect flight behavior. Overall, it is hoped that the interested reader will understand the limits and benefits of flight mills, and will know where to find the resources, and perhaps collaborators, to pursue this line of study.