A Study of the Flight of the Douglas-Fir Beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopk. (Coleoptera: Scolytidae): I. Flight Preparation and Response

Abstract

Insect flight can be divided into four basic components which lend themselves to independent study. These are: (1) flight preparation and response; (2) the body movements and their resultant forces; (3) the flight capacity; and (4) flight orientation. Many authors have dealt with these various phases of flight and studies have been made on a wide variety of insects. Nevertheless, on reviewing the literature two deficiencies become apparent. First, there are very few cases where a complete study of flight has been made for a single species, an outstanding exception being the studies on locust flight by Weis-Fogh and Jensen (1956). Secondly, beetles, particularly the Scolytidae, have been neglected as experimental material in flight studies