Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why flying insects gather at artificial light

nature.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 183 posts

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#121

Post by scotty79 »

bethekind wrote: post #112
scotty79 wrote: post #9

I had a really weird observation. Do you know how in the summer flies tend to enter rooms and circle the middle of it (where usually the turned off light fixture is)? And they seemingly can't or don't want to find open window to leave the room? At one point for unrelated reasons I replaced light fixture in my room with more than 200W worth of strongest E27 Philips LED lightbulbs I could find (20*1521lumen). Few flies…

I like bright lights as much as anyone else, could you explain how you got a 20x fixture set up in your room? I've heard of 500 watt E38 mogul fixtures, but not 20x mini ones

I just screwed 20 cheapest lightbulb sockets to a board and connected them with wires.

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#122

Post by scotty79 »

zuzun wrote: post #60
scotty79 wrote: post #9

I had a really weird observation. Do you know how in the summer flies tend to enter rooms and circle the middle of it (where usually the turned off light fixture is)? And they seemingly can't or don't want to find open window to leave the room? At one point for unrelated reasons I replaced light fixture in my room with more than 200W worth of strongest E27 Philips LED lightbulbs I could find (20*1521lumen). Few flies…

Flies easily fly through the window if it's substantially brighter than the room.

Not in my experience. The walls were dark. And the window was bright occupying half of the surface of one wall. They still flew in circles.

I think it might be what other commenters are pointing out. That flies consider the brightest direction to be the sky, but if it's to the side (with respect to gravity) it messes up their navigation.

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#123

Post by scotty79 »

switch007 wrote: post #97
scotty79 wrote: post #9

I had a really weird observation. Do you know how in the summer flies tend to enter rooms and circle the middle of it (where usually the turned off light fixture is)? And they seemingly can't or don't want to find open window to leave the room? At one point for unrelated reasons I replaced light fixture in my room with more than 200W worth of strongest E27 Philips LED lightbulbs I could find (20*1521lumen). Few flies…

I’m curious: how are those 20 bulbs installed? You got a single fixture with 20 bulbs??

Just screwed 20 lightbulb sockets to a board and connected them with wire.

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#124

Post by scotty79 »

darkwater wrote: post #50
scotty79 wrote: post #9

I had a really weird observation. Do you know how in the summer flies tend to enter rooms and circle the middle of it (where usually the turned off light fixture is)? And they seemingly can't or don't want to find open window to leave the room? At one point for unrelated reasons I replaced light fixture in my room with more than 200W worth of strongest E27 Philips LED lightbulbs I could find (20*1521lumen). Few flies…

This actually squares with the study, no? I mean, when they are inside - and it's my experience as well - they might take the window as the main source of light and think that's the sky, so they start to fly in circles.

That's probably it. When the "sky" doesn't align with gravity they get confused.

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#125

Post by JR1427 »

trklausss wrote: post #106
Balgair wrote: post #104

One fun thing to do with a swarm of bug near a light is to take out your keys and shake them. Keys will often ring in the ultrasonic and poorly mimic the frequencies that a lot of bats use. If you have a population of bats that hunt near you, the bugs will typically just drop. Like, just drop to the ground as fast as they can. They know the sound of hunting bats and your keys may be just close enough to that sound th…

Well you have no sources and you can be full of it. But following the scientific method, I’ll try your hypothesis next chance I have! :D

If this turns out to not be true, and just said for the amusement of thinking of all the people jiggling their keys at insects, it reminds me of something a friend in high-school said to me:

"If you peel a banana, take a bite off the top, and then poke your index finger in to the middle of it, it will split in to perfect thirds".

Upon trying this, I discovered it was not true, and my friend just wanted to see me stick my finger in a banana...

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#126

Post by ithkuil »

JR1427 wrote: post #125
trklausss wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you have no sources and you can be full of it. But following the scientific method, I’ll try your hypothesis next chance I have! :D

If this turns out to not be true, and just said for the amusement of thinking of all the people jiggling their keys at insects, it reminds me of something a friend in high-school said to me: "If you peel a banana, take a bite off the top, and then poke your index finger in to the middle of it, it will split in to perfect thirds". Upon trying this, I discovered it was not true, and my friend just wanted to see me stic…

I never tried (yet) but a quick search reveals a lot of people filming the "banana split in thirds" action, e.g. https://youtu.be/NoGXTXsamt4?si=ANNTdtcu1trOdQXP

It's still technically possible it's a hoax but, boy, that's a lot of effort to provide fake content to support the hoax.

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#127

Post by ginsider_oaks »

JR1427 wrote: post #125
trklausss wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you have no sources and you can be full of it. But following the scientific method, I’ll try your hypothesis next chance I have! :D

If this turns out to not be true, and just said for the amusement of thinking of all the people jiggling their keys at insects, it reminds me of something a friend in high-school said to me: "If you peel a banana, take a bite off the top, and then poke your index finger in to the middle of it, it will split in to perfect thirds". Upon trying this, I discovered it was not true, and my friend just wanted to see me stic…

funnily my friend just discovered that you can split it into thirds a few day ago and now does it whenever he eats a banana

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#128

Post by ProllyInfamous »

JR1427 wrote: post #125
trklausss wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you have no sources and you can be full of it. But following the scientific method, I’ll try your hypothesis next chance I have! :D

If this turns out to not be true, and just said for the amusement of thinking of all the people jiggling their keys at insects, it reminds me of something a friend in high-school said to me: "If you peel a banana, take a bite off the top, and then poke your index finger in to the middle of it, it will split in to perfect thirds". Upon trying this, I discovered it was not true, and my friend just wanted to see me stic…

A banana does actually third itself when split.

I'm still going to shake my keys at the next swarm I passby.

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#129

Post by ersiees »

vlz wrote: post #115
Balgair wrote: post #104

One fun thing to do with a swarm of bug near a light is to take out your keys and shake them. Keys will often ring in the ultrasonic and poorly mimic the frequencies that a lot of bats use. If you have a population of bats that hunt near you, the bugs will typically just drop. Like, just drop to the ground as fast as they can. They know the sound of hunting bats and your keys may be just close enough to that sound th…

Interesting, I heard a story once that you can catch bats with keys: Put a bunch of keys in a sock and throw that in the air. If there is a bat near enough it might dive for and grab the object, then it gets drawn to the ground because the keys are too heavy. There you can catch it if you are quick. Might be an urban myth, though it seems like it might just work.

more of a rural myth, I guess ;D

Re: Why flying insects gather at artificial light

#130

Post by hk__2 »

vlz wrote: post #115
Balgair wrote: post #104

One fun thing to do with a swarm of bug near a light is to take out your keys and shake them. Keys will often ring in the ultrasonic and poorly mimic the frequencies that a lot of bats use. If you have a population of bats that hunt near you, the bugs will typically just drop. Like, just drop to the ground as fast as they can. They know the sound of hunting bats and your keys may be just close enough to that sound th…

Interesting, I heard a story once that you can catch bats with keys: Put a bunch of keys in a sock and throw that in the air. If there is a bat near enough it might dive for and grab the object, then it gets drawn to the ground because the keys are too heavy. There you can catch it if you are quick. Might be an urban myth, though it seems like it might just work.

Note that depending on your area this might be illegal. In France for example, bats are a protected species and it’s forbidden to kill or capture them.
Post reply on HN