Going Places: Insect Migration

We describe various facets of the fascinating world of insect migrations, both those that are often perceived to be newsworthy, as well as the lesser known. In the form of questions and answers, we describe how the phenomenon of migration is specific to certain insects, the factors that influence insect migration, and how insect migration can be studied. We use examples of well-known agricultural pests and endangered butterflies to describe how hormones, biological clocks, genes, and predilection for particular host plants contribute to the process of migration. We exhort the readers to participate in global citizen science initiatives that recognize and document insect migrations in their vicinity.