Each year, more than 700 million large insects—comparable in size to houseflies or larger—quietly traverse the skies of northern Israel, navigating across a narrow geographic bottleneck known as the Levantine corridor. This revelation, detailed in a newly published study from the University of Haifa in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Active navigation and meteorological selectivity drive insect migration patterns through the Levant), offers one of the most comprehensive views to date of insect migration in a region that has long eluded scientific attention.
The Levantine corridor, wedged between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian Desert, serves as a rare green passageway for migratory species traveling between Africa, Asia, and Europe. While this route is well-known as a flyway for birds, little has been documented about the insects traveling through the same airspace—until now.
Using a network of seven biological radars deployed over eight years, researchers led by Dr. Yuval Werber systematically tracked more than 6.3 million individual insects flying hundreds of meters above the ground. These instruments, capable of distinguishing insects from birds and bats, recorded not only flight altitude, speed, and direction, but also subtle signals such as wingbeat frequency. The team, which included scientists from the University of Haifa, Tel-Hai College, the United Kingdom, and China, then cross-referenced this data with meteorological conditions such as wind, temperature, and humidity.
What they found was striking: not only do insects migrate in vast numbers over Israel, but they do so with a surprising degree of purpose. Many were shown to orient themselves in specific directions—sometimes even flying against prevailing winds—demonstrating a level of navigational agency more commonly associated with birds.
“Each year, a massive and invisible stream of insects passes overhead, connecting ecosystems across continents,” Dr. Werber said. “Our findings show these are not just passive drifters. They choose when and how to fly.”
Spring migrations—spanning March through June—were especially pronounced, as insects moved northward, likely en route to Europe and Asia. By contrast, the return journey in autumn (August through November) involved far fewer individuals, defying expectations based on known patterns elsewhere, where southward migrations tend to dominate.
The study sheds light on a long-overlooked phenomenon. Though insect migration is globally widespread, its high-altitude nature makes it largely invisible and difficult to track. Yet its effects are significant: insects pollinate crops and wild plants, recycle nutrients, support food webs—and can also spread pests and diseases. Understanding their migratory patterns has implications for biodiversity, agriculture, and public health.
One of the most surprising findings emerged when the team compared their data to insect migration studies at 17 sites across Europe. Despite the Levantine corridor’s pivotal location between three continents, it hosted far fewer insects than expected.
“We anticipated a convergence here, similar to what we see with migratory birds,” the researchers said. “But the numbers just didn’t add up.” The team speculates that the corridor’s narrow width, or the high energy cost required for insects to detour toward it, may explain the discrepancy. “This challenges some of our core assumptions about insect migration and raises new questions about how these tiny navigators orient themselves across vast distances,” they added.
While the skies above Israel may appear still, the airspace is alive with unseen travelers. Thanks to advancements in radar technology and years of observation, researchers are now beginning to understand the rhythms and rules that govern this airborne migration—and how profoundly it connects life across continents.
