On the afternoon of April 8th around 1:45 PM, the sky will go dark due to a phenomenon known as a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is the result of the moon passing between the sun and the Earth; the moon blocks the sun- at least partially- and casts a shadow on Earth, resulting in a momentary twilight state in the early afternoon. While this event will cast complete darkness for close to four minutes, one must wonder what affect it will have on insects.
Insects are highly instinctual creatures, many of whom use the cycle of the sun to dictate their daily behaviors. Insects are typically either diurnal- having a wake sleep cycle like humans- or nocturnal- sleeping through the day and prowling at night. However, the onset of darkness and drop in temperature caused by the lack of sun during the eclipse will indicate an early nighttime to insects. This raises many questions about insects and their behaviors: What will the insects do during the eclipse? How will the eclipse affect insect behavior? What behavioral changes will be observable in different insects?
Bees
A study conducted at Cambridge University showed bees flying freely in a brightly lit lab but falling immediately to the ground after the lights turned off. This study supports the idea that bees cannot fly in the dark due to visibility challenges. Bees can only crawl in the dark, meaning that their main task of retrieving pollen can be affected by darkness. Because the eclipse will be gradual, we won't likely see any bees plummet to the ground like in the experiment, but we will rather observe them rush back to their hives. Still, it will
be interesting to see a somewhat sudden cease and resume in the bees' typical daytime activities during the eclipse.
Crickets, Fireflies, and Moths
Although crickets sing during the day and night, we associate their songs at night due to the lack of animals awake during the evening. With the total darkness brought on by the eclipse, we can expect to hear a lot more crickets chirping.
Fireflies will also sense the onset of darkness and temperature drop which will cause them to flash their bioluminescent mating calls earlier in the day. Another insect species such as moths can also come out of their regenerative, sleep like state, and begin to flutter during the eclipse's total darkness.
Spiders
A drastic change we may encounter, will be from the orb weaver spiders; as orb weaver spiders construct their webs at dawn and tear them down at dusk. During an eclipse, these spiders can grow frantic to tear down their webs as the sun grows dim for four minutes. However, when the moon passes the sun, these spiders will want to rebuild their webs.
In conclusion, the behavior of insects and animals during an eclipse is still largely unknown. Insect behavior during a total solar eclipse has been rarely studied due to a lack of yearly eclipses. However, we do have some information about how a total solar eclipse affects insects, and scientists are still collecting information to help us in the future. So, please pay attention to the little members of society, because who knows what you might see during a solar eclipse!
Sources:
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/geometry/ https://skyandtelescope.org/2024-total-solar-eclipse/how-dark-does-it-get-during-a-total-solar-eclipse/#:~:text=Measurements%20made%20at%20recent%20total,still%2C%20less%20than%200.5%20lux https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/092188909500081X#:~:text=Insects%20have%20rather%20a%20small,occur%20without%20memory%20and%20learning https://goaptive.com/nocturnal-insects https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2024/04/01/uf-ifas-qa-why-do-insects-behave-strangely-during-a-total-solar-eclipse/#:~:text=Totality%20during%20solar%20eclipses%20also,seen%20during%20total%20solar%20eclipses https://www.beesafebeeremoval.com/bees-cant-fly-at-night/#:~:text=Instead%20of%20being%20nocturnal%2C%20bees,fast%20they%20can%20do%20tasks https://mdc.mo.gov/blogs/discover-nature-notes/crickets-summer-soundtrack#:~:text=Often%2C%20we%20reduce%20the%20chirping,when%20competing%20sounds%20are%20gone https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/animals-that-freak-out-during-eclipses
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