Why moths fly into the light?

• Why do moths fly into the light?

Certainly, anyone who saw the warm summer night around a campfire dance weaves all sorts of insects, wondering why they do it? After all nocturnal insects at night and then to fly in the dark. If they were so fond of light, that would fly in the afternoon. The paradox of nature.

In fact, there is no paradox. Light not only attracts moths, that is insects of the order Lepidoptera. Birds also discouraged tossing huge flocks near the lighthouse during seasonal migrations. On light sail fish. So, saury catch nets, luring her there with powerful spotlights. Even among insects alluring exposed to light not only moths. It fly from almost all the units with a variety of lifestyles. This is mainly crepuscular and nocturnal forms, but often hover around the lamp and the typical daily views.

Love of light is not to blame, and the causes that lead moths fly to the bright and hot tube or directly into a flame the fire, two.

So, day butterfly could get close to the bulb still in the evening and during the night someone had disturbed or he was awakened by a bright light. Waking up from a dream, butterfly finds himself surrounded by darkness, which he perceives as a closed room. Light just as rightly pointed out the famous entomologist George Mazokhin-Porshnyakov is a universal indicator of open space. That rushes frightened insect to the light spot as to the saving exit.

Other business - night form. For millions of years they used the Moon for orientation in space. It is noticed that if the move quickly in a straight line, the scenery around and flash, and the moon moves as if in parallel. This is because the distance to it, compared with surmounted by man or, as in this case, an insect is huge and the direction it remains practically unchanged. This is what makes the moon a beautiful landmark: moving at a certain angle to the night luminary, the selected direction is maintained.

With the advent of more complicated all artificial light sources. The tried and tested method of navigation began to falter. "Capturing" a burning light bulb in sight, went to the night journey moth continues to hold its direction of flight at a certain angle. If this angle is straight, the insect begins to describe a closed circle around the light bulb. If the angle is obtuse, butterfly removed from the light source on the helix. But those unfortunates who have chosen an acute angle will be closer to the lamp, too, in a spiral until they have experienced it.