Many animals migrate in order to either find food or else find a place to stay to keep warm during the winter months. Most people are aware of the great animal and bird migrations. Insects too also migrate. Insects carry out the largest continental migration on Earth.
Insects are the some of the most numerous animals on Earth. Their sheer number could surpass any larger animal's numbers. In southern Britain alone their number is already large. Around 3.5 trillion insects migrate whenever winter comes.
Animal and bird migrations are a sight to see. Compared to these, insect migration is largely unseen by many people. Yet insects migrate. Insects migrate on a seasonal basis, as explained by Dr. Nir Sapir who is from the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology at the University of Haifa.
The study of insect migration though has not largely been taken. Scientists do not know which insects actually migrate and where they go to migrate. The research on insect migration has been taken by the University of Haifa together with other universities. Radars were installed in southern England 15 years ago in order to monitor large insect movements.
The radars have been used in measuring insect flight speed, direction and height. For smaller insect species that could not be detected, special nets have been used in order to catch species samples, according to Science Daily. Through the radars the movements of insects have been determined.
During the Fall insects have been observed to make a southward movement. In the Spring insects are headed more towards the north. The research has also shown that insects use the wind in order to make their travel much faster.
Mass insect migrations can have an effect on the environment, as Mother Nature Network reports. Insects are important in pollination. Many of them carry seeds and pollens with them as they travel. They can be pests though, as some insects also thrive on crops and vegetation.
Insects are an important part of the ecosystem. They help in the propagation of plants and trees. Insects carry out the largest continental migration on Earth. Another study has found that primate extinction could be a possibility.
