As I scavenge beaches for biological observations, I notice many winged insects seem intoxicated when still alive, and others are already dead and seem covered in oil/grease. Much more so than in most other areas I scavenge, away from beaches.
If this indeed the case / a known fact, then is this perhaps due to oil spills / spilled out at sea, or what would be the cause? Any information welcome.
Is there perhaps an iNaturalist project dedicated to such observations, such that civil science can help in the effort of mapping these? If not, I think it would be great to create one.
P.S.: Not sure if these could fit into the Category “General”, or whether this should go to “Nature Talk”? As I am both interested in the general explanation of such observations, but equally into the iNaturalist project(s) surrounding these, if any.
A lot of insects get caught in the breeze and pushed out to sea, then wash ashore and end up along the wrack line. If the wind is strong enough, even insects that can fly strongly will end up exhausted and fall into the waves, especially if it’s cool or cloudy near the beach. I’m not sure if salt water is more toxic to insects than fresh water, but most insects end up to cold/waterlogged to escape, even if they manage to crawl up past the reach of the waves.
Superb @david99 I highly enjoyed reading this possible explanation! Thank you for sharing.
Is this a known well-established fact of biology? Any link / reference would be appreciated. I wondered whether you learned this in a course a long while ago, or how you came to know this.