title: Design of a Computerised Flight Mill Device to Measure the Flight Potential of Different Insects.
abstract: Several insect species pose a serious threat to different plant species, sometimes becoming a pest that produces significant damage to the landscape, biodiversity, and/or the economy. This is the case of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), Semanotus laurasii Lucas (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), and Monochamus galloprovincialis Olivier (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), which have become serious threats to ornamental and productive trees all over the world such as palm trees, cypresses, and pines. Knowledge about their flight potential is very important for designing and applying measures targeted to reduce the negative effects from these pests. Studying the flight capability and behaviour of some insects is difficult due to their small size and the large area wherein they can fly, so we wondered how we could obtain information about their flight capabilities in a controlled environment. The answer came with the design of flight mills. Relevant data about the flight potential of these insects may be recorded and analysed by means of a flight mill. Once an insect is attached to the flight mill, it is able to fly in a circular direction without hitting walls or objects. By adding sensors to the flight mill, it is possible to record the number of revolutions and flight time. This paper presents a full description of a computer monitored flight mill. The description covers both the mechanical and the electronic parts in detail. The mill was designed to easily adapt to the anatomy of different insects and was successfully tested with individuals from three species R. ferrugineus, S. laurasii, and M. galloprovincialis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicaciones (ITACA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. amarti@disca.upv.es.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martí-Campoy
authors.affiliation: Instituto Agroforestal Mediterráneo (IAM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. juavama@msn.com.
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ávalos
authors.affiliation: Instituto Agroforestal Mediterráneo (IAM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. asoto@eaf.upv.es.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicaciones (ITACA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. prodrig@disca.upv.es.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Ballester
authors.affiliation: Instituto Agroforestal Mediterráneo (IAM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. vicmarbl@etsia.upv.es.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martínez-Blay
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Computer Science, Miguel Hernandez University, Ave. Universidad s/n-Ed. Alcudia, 03202 Elche, Spain. mels@umh.es.
authors.forename: Manuel Pérez
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Malumbres
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D003201:Computers; D005426:Flight, Animal; D010571:Pest Control / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014197:Trees / Q000469:parasitology
keywords: behaviour; coleoptera; computer; flight mill; flight potential; flight study; insect pests; measurement