News Excerpt:

New discovery, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that the ability to accumulate static electricity enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of butterflies and moths as pollinators.

Findings of the Research:

• Recent research has revealed that butterflies and moths accumulate significant amounts of static electricity while flying.
• This static charge is strong enough to attract pollen grains from flowers across air gaps of several millimeters or even centimeters, allowing these insects to collect pollen without direct contact.
• The study also found that the amount of static electricity varies among different species, correlating with ecological factors such as flower visitation, habitat (tropical or otherwise), and whether the insects are active during the day or night.
• This variation indicates that the accumulation of static electricity may be an adaptive trait of natural selection.

How does Static electricity develop?

• Static electricity is a form of electricity resulting from the imbalance between positive and negative charges within a material that occurs when electrons (the negatively charged particles in an atom) move from one material to another.
• The researchers explain that animals, including butterflies and moths, likely accumulate static electricity through friction with the air during flight. 

While it has been suggested that this electrostatic attraction could improve the pollination abilities of other flower-visiting animals, such as bees and hummingbirds, this study provides concrete evidence of its role in butterflies and moths.