D3029: Photonic monitoring of the aerial density and biomass density of flying insects during a 9-month campaign

While more and more studies point toward an alarming rate of decline in insect abundance, monitoring insect population remains a formidable challenge to entomologists. Recent developments in entomological photonic sensors to monitor flying insects have made it possible to keep track of insect abundance and biomass continuously, and over the entire season. In this study, the results obtained from an Entomological Bistatic Optical Sensor System (eBoss) are presented, the system covers a distance of 36m and records optical signals for each insect transiting through its field of view. A total of 302,092 flying insect observations were made from mid-April till the end of December 2022 during a field campaign in Secaucus,New Jersey,USA. By analyzing the eBoss’ optical signals, the aerial density, biomass density, and circadian rhythm of flying insects have been studied for nine months with a temporal resolution in the minute range. The study shows change in abundance throughout the entire season with different weather conditions. Maximum abundance of insects has been found during June-July between 15°C and 25°C, with an aerial density of 0.094 insect/m³ and a biomass density of 1.4 mg/m³. Both aerial and biomass densities are studied with respect to time of day, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. Photonic sensors provide a new alternative to monitor population dynamics of flying insects: it allows for the observation of thousands of insects per day without interruption, requires little supervision and removes the need for long and expensive laboratory analysis often needed with physical traps.