Bug Bytes

The sounds of crickets courting and flies flying familiar to many of us, but have you heard a rice weevil larva eating inside a wheat kernel, a termite cutting a piece of wood, or a grub chewing on a root?  Modern insect detection and control technology makes use of these subtle signals, sampled below.

Most of the sound files in this library were selected from noise-free sections of recorded signal, but you can hear some typical background noises mixed with insect sounds at I below.  The insect sounds have higher frequencies and shorter durations that make them relatively easy to separate from background (see discussion in ). Several different methods have been developed to identify sounds of particular insect species, and at least one author ( )  has tested a method against multiple signals below.

Richard Mankin

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Note:  This page contains links to sound ( or .wav) files, and accompanying information in (.pdf) files as well as links to pictures or other information about each species in the Encyclopedia of Life  or Featured Creatures .  Some of the sounds are low in intensity, and it may be necessary to turn up the speaker volume to hear them.  Also, many sound players like to deemphasize low frequencies.  If your player has an equalizer and you can't hear the sounds, turn up the frequencies between 600 and 1500 Hz. If the sound does not play well over the internet,  you can right click on the file, and then click Save Target As  to download the file to your desktop or elsewhere on your computer, where it may play better. Coolest Top 5: (my choice, let me know yours) Cotesia marginiventris (Braconid parasitoid callinging song) Bactrocera tyroni (Queensland fruit fly calling song) Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) Solenopsis invicta (Fire ant stridulation) Drepanotermes (Australian termites, headbanging) Below: Cornelius Dunmore and Katrina Hutchinson  performing digital signal analysis of stored product insect pest sounds. Subject Index: A. Stored product and household pest insect movement and feeding sounds B. Movement and feeding sounds of soil invertebrates C. Defensive stridulation by soil insects (dung beetles) D. Movement and feeding sounds of insects in wood.  Termite head-banging E. Movement and feeding sounds of insects in plants F. Buzzing of fruit flies, butterflies, moths, and mosquitoes, stink bug, and Rhopalid  communication G. Fire ants, phorid flies, and their interactions H. Cricket, katydid, and cicada sounds, including underground sounds of immature crickets I. Examples to distinguish insect sounds from background noise More sounds: Iowa State Entomology Index

Species Index: Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) Aedes taeniorynchus (salt marsh mosquito) Anastrepha suspensa (Caribbean fruit fly)  Anoplophora glabripennis  (Asian longhorned beetle) Antitrogus parvulus (Childers grub)  Apocnemidophorus pipitzi (Brazilian peppertree stem borer ) Bactrocera tyroni (Queensland fruit fly) Blattella germanica (German cockroach) Buprestid spp.  (larva in oak branch) Camponotus denticulatus (Australian ant) Cephus cinctus (Wheat stem sawfly) Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly)   Coptotermes formosanus (Formosan termite) Cotesia marginiventris (Braconid parasitoid) Cryptotermes or Incisitermes (Drywood termite)  Delia antiqua (Onion fly) Dendroctonus valens (red turpentine beetle) Dermolepida albohirtum (greyback cane grub) Diaphorina citri (Asian citrius psyllid)   Diaprepes abbreviatus (Diaprepes root weevil)  Drepanotermes (Australian termites) Euschistus servus (brown stink bug) Euzophera magnolialis (Magnolia root borer)  Ensifera (Crickets and katydids, adults and underground immatures) Gastropoda (snails) underground Geotrupes egeriei (Dung beetle) defensive stridulation Heliconius cydno alithea (Heliconid butterfly) adult and pupa Hylobius abietes (pine weevil) Hylotrupes bajulus (Old house borer) Jadera haematoloma (soapberry bug) Leptogenys kitteli (ants) stridulations Lumbricidae (Earthworms) Monochamus titillator (Southern pine sawyer) Musca domesticus (housefly) Nezara viridula (Southern green stink bug) Oryctes rhinoceros (Coconut rhinoceros beetle) stridulation Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Black vine weevil) Peltotrupes profundus (Dung beetle) defensive stridulation Phyllophaga (White grub) Plodia interpunctella (Indian meal moth) adults and larvae Polyphylla spp. (June beetle) Pseudacteon tricuspis (Phorid fly) Reticulitermes flavipes  (Eastern subterranean termite) Reticulitermes virginicus (termite) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (red palm weevil) Rhynchophorus cruentatus (palmetto weevil) Scapteriscus vicinus (Mole cricket) Sitophilus oryzae (Rice weevil) Solenopsis invicta (Fire ant)

　

　

A.  Stored Product Insect movement and feeding sounds recorded for insect detection and monitoring studies
(the sound quality differences that you hear are caused by differences in the spectral ranges of the sensors).

　

A.1. Plodia interpunctella larvae in dry dog food [1147 kb, 30 s] recorded with Bruel and Kjaer accelerometer.
A.2.  Individual Plodia interpunctella larva in dry dog food [489 kB, 10 s] recorded with piezoelectric disk sensor.
A.3. Sitophilus oryzae larvae (17-18 d old) in wheat kernels [489 kB, 10 s] recorded with PVDF film sensor.
A.4. Sitophilus oryzae larvae (16-17 d old) in wheat kernels [489 kB, 10 s] recorded with Bruel and Kjaer accelerometer.
A.5. Sitophilus oryzae larvae (16-17 d old) in wheat kernels [489 kB, 10 s] recorded with 40 kHz ultrasonic sensor.
A.6. Sitophilus oryzae larvae (17-18 d old) in wheat kernels [977 kB, 10 s] recorded with 30 kHz ultrasonic sensor.
A.7. Sitophilus oryzae larvae (16-17 d old) in wheat kernels [977 kB, 10 s] recorded with piezoelectric disk sensor.
A.8. Blattella germanica (German cockroach adult male  [692 kB, 35 s] scurrying in a small arena, recorded with small microphone.

　 B.  Movement and feeding sounds of soil invertebrates:

For #'s B.1-3 see also:  Web Page by Phil Stansly, Biology of Diaprepes abbreviatus

B.1. Diaprepes abbreviatus larvae feeding on citrus stock in a 1-gallon pot  [1,465 kB, 30 s]
B.2. Diaprepes abbreviatus larvae feeding on orange tree roots in a grove  [641 kB, 12.8 s] (see [2209 kB] )
B.3. Recording under different orange tree in same grove    [489 kB, 9.8 s]

[Note:  Originally B.3 was thought also to be Diaprepes, but analysis of the sound pattern and spectra led us to reclassify the sound as an above-ground insect feeding in the tree canopy.]
B.4a. Phyllophaga  (white grubs) recorded by Jamee Brandhorst-Hubbard
           w/ soil microphone [449 kB, 9 s]. (see .  . [556 kB])
B.4b.Phyllophaga  (white grubs) recorded by Minling Zhang w/ soil microphone
        containing examples of a repeated pulse (near start of file), followed by several rustles,
        and a loud snap at end  [831 kB, 17 s].   (See Zhang et al. 2003)   .
B.4.c.and B.4.d.  Two simultaneous recordings by Minling Zhang of a series
        of (6) sound pulses recorded from microphones inserted into soil near a white grub
        (Phyllophaga).  The series begins at ca. 8.8 s after the beginning of each recording
        and lasts for 1.5 s.  Other sounds also are present in the recordings.  [769 kB, 16 s]. Additional information
        in Zhang et al. (2003)     

B.5. Euzophera magnolialis Capps recorded in soil under magnolia tree.
       (Assisted by Gary Leibee) For more information about Magnolia root borer
       , see Leibee G. L. 1992.  Unearthing the magnolia menace.  American Nurseryman, January 1992, pp. 70-74 [489 kB, 9.8 s].

B.6.  Polyphylla spp. ( Possibly P. barbata). Unverified recordings in habitat of rare June beetle,
recorded by John Rodgers near Santa Cruz, CA, using an AED-2000  insect detection system.
B.7.Scapteriscus vicinus  Mole cricket
recorded by Jamee Brandhorst-Hubbard  w/ soil microphone [489 kB, 9.8 s].
B.8. Scapteriscus vicinus  Mole cricket scraping sounds
recorded by Everett Foreman w/ accelerometer [489 kB, 9.8 s].
  See Tom Walker's Web Site for above-ground sounds made by adults and reference information about mole crickets.
B.9. Lumbricidae spp. (earthworms) recorded in soil from a forage grass field
using an accelerometer [489 kB 9.8 s].

　           B.10.    Early-instar Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae recorded in Aruba with AED-2000 by Nathan Herrick
                                 (3 larvae in a Phoenix canariensis palm frond)      [937 kB 10 s].

          More Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (red palm weevil) and R. cruentatus (palmetto weevil) sounds.

        B.11. Otiorhynchus sulcatus (black vine weevil) larvae in 1-gal. pot with yew tree, recorded with accelerometer [489 kB, 10   s].

　 　

  　 More BVW sounds recorded with accelerometer in nursery containers with different host plants [6 segments, each 489 kB, 9.8 s].

        B.12. Dermolepida albohirtum larvae (greyback grubs) feeding on sugarcane in a field near Mackay, Australia, recorded with an
                   accelerometer (assistance from Peter Samson)  [1492 kB, 17 s].
        B.13. Antitrogus parvulus larvae (Childers grubs) feeding on sugarcane in a field near Bundaberg, Australia, recorded with an
                  accelerometer (assistance from Keith Chandler)  [828 kB, 9 s].
        B.14. Lumbricidae spp. (earthworms) recorded in soil from a forage grass field
                  using an accelerometer [489 kB 9.8 s].
        B.15. Gastropoda spp. (snails) recorded with an accelerometer in a container with a grape vine.

　

　 　 C.  Defensive stridulation of soil insects (dung beetles):

Note:  For information about dung beetles, see:  Vulinec, K. 2000. Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), monkeys, and conservation in Amazonia.  Fla. Entomol. 83:229-241. 

   C.1. Geotrupes egeriei Germar provided by Kevi Vulinec, University of Florida. [505 kB, 10.8 s]
   C.2.  Peltotrupes profundus Howden provided by Kevi Vulinec, University of Florida [353 kB, 8 s]

　 D.  Movement and feeding sounds of insects in wood:

　 Note:  See Mankin, R. W., W. L. Osbrink, F. M. Oi, and J. B. Anderson. 2002.  Acoustic detection of termite infestations in urban trees.  J. Econ. Entomol. 95:981-988.    [146 kB]

D.1. Reticulitermes virginicus  (300 workers feeding on 2" x 4" x 8' plank, recorded by Donovan Filkins) [489 kB, 9.8 sec].
D.2. Reticulitermes flavipes (Eastern subterranean termite)
        recorded in soil under a pine tree,using an accelerometer.[489 kB, 9.8 s].

D.3.       Recordings by John Green from an accelerometer placed into a laboratory colony of 2000
          Eastern subterranean termite workers [2.93 mB, 60 s].
D.4.      Reticulitermes spp. headbanging recorded by John Rodgers
                    with an AED-2000 insect detection system. [206 kB, 4 s].
D.5. Coptotermes formosanus (Formosan termites)
recorded in soil under an oak tree using an accelerometer  [489 kB, 9.8 s].
D.6. Drywood termites (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae)
(possibly Cryptotermes brevis (Walker) or Incisitermes snyderi (Light) in wooden beam).  For more information about drywood termites see Thoms. 2000. Use of an acoustic emissions detector and intragallery injection of spinosad by pest control operators for remedial control of drywood termites (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae). 
Recorded by John Rodgers with an AED-2000 insect detection system. [160 kB, 10 s].

　 　 　 　

　 　

　 　

　 D.9. Monochamus titillator  (Southern pine sawyer) larva recorded with accelerometer by Everett Foreman [586 kB, 12 s].

　 　           D.10. Hylotrupes bajulus  (Old house borer) larva recorded with AED-2000 [1766 kB, 10.25 s].
　 　 　 　 　 　

D.11. Buprestid  larva in oak branch recorded with accelerometer by Everett Foreman [5169 kB, 60 s].

　 　 　         D.12. Oryctes rhinoceros  (Coconut rhinoceros beetle) stridulations by three different adults  near accelerometer [1413 kB, 10 s].
        D.13. Apocnemidophorus pipitzi  (Brazilian peppertree stem boring weevil) larvae feeding inside small branch of Brazilian peppertree,
                                Schinus terebinthifolius, courtesy of James Cuda, recorded with an accelerometer  [2175 kB, 25 s]
        D.14.      Apocnemidophorus pipitzi  (Brazilian peppertree stem boring weevil) larvae feeding inside small branch of Brazilian peppertree,
                                relative, Schinus polygamus, courtesy of James Cuda recorded with an accelerometer  [865 kB, 10 s]

E.  Movement and feeding sounds of insects in plants:

　 E.1. Cephus cinctus (wheat stem sawfly) larva (0.014 g, 29-d-old
recorded by Matt Grieshop with accelerometer clamped to wheat stem (Note: just a few audible clicks) [489 kB, 9.8 s].

　 F. Wing and abdominal vibration sounds recorded in insect communication studies:

F.1a.  Aedes taeniorynchus (salt marsh mosquito) male mosquito swarm at Rookery Bay, FL[489 kb, 9.8 sec]

[Note:  There is a female mosquito buzzing in the foreground, and the higher-pitched sound of the male swarm is in the background.]
 Information about Aedes taeniorynchus swarms is given in: Mankin (1994)    [1,609 kB]

F.1b.  Aedes albopictus  (Asian tiger mosquito) female in flight. 

　

          Note that the wingbeat frequency is much lower than for the smaller male in F.1.c.
           Recorded by Everett Foreman with Bruel and Kjaer microphone  [489 kB, 9.8 s].

　

　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

　 F.4a. Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly) adult male calling song
recorded by James Anderson with Bruel and Kjaer microphone  [489 kB, 9.8 s]

　

　

　 　 　 　 　

F.4b. Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly) adult male courtship song
recorded by Everett Foreman with Bruel and Kjaer microphone  [489 kB, 9.8 s]

　

F.6a.Heliconius cydno alithea (Butterfly) adult female producing a series of wing clicks [161 kB, 3 s].
(Recorded by Mirian Hay-Roe, University of Florida)

　 　 　 　 　

　 　 　

　 　

          F.6c.      Defensive stridulations by a female pupa. [136kB, 3s] 　

F.7. Plodia interpunctella
• Adult male near pheromone source [1664 kB, 33.28 s]

Information about adult male Plodia interpunctella recordings is presented in: Mankin et al. (1999).  [173 kB]
• Adult male without pheromone stimulation [1120 kB, 22.4 s]

　 　

　

　 　 　 G. Ants moving and stridulating, phorid flies, and their interaction:
　 　 Note: for other stridulatory sounds, visit the National Center for Physical Acoustics insect sounds web site.  See also Hickling et al. (2000), Hickling and Brown (2001),  Roces and Tautz (2001)

G.1a. General movement and stridulation sounds of fire ants  [977 kB, 10 s]
      recorded by James Anderson with Bruel and Kjaer microphone in a small colony of Solenopsis invicta. (Fire ants courtesy of Lloyd
      Davis).

　

G.1b. General movement and stridulation sounds of fire ants recorded with accelerometer from fire ants under citrus trees in Ft. Pierce citrus grove  [549 kB, 11 s]. see     Mankin and Lapointe (2003)

G.1c. General movement and stridulation sounds of Leptogenys kitteli ants [972 kB, 10 s] courtesy of Yu-Kun Chiu, Taiwan.

 G.2.  Flight sounds of Pseudacteon tricuspis hovering over fire ants [977 kB, 10 s].

(See F.1 and  http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=4484).  (Phorid flies courtesy of Sanford Porter and Lloyd Davis).

G.3.  Pseudacteon tricuspis (phorid flies) hovering over stridulating fire ants. (See F.1) [977 kB, 10 s].

　 H. Crickets, katydids, and cicadas:

H.1. Tom Walker's "Singing Insects" Web Site  and the Online Guide to Insect Songs by Lang Elliott and Wil Hershberger
H.2. Kazuyuki Hashimoto's "Insect Sound World" Web Site
H.3. Underground immature crickets (from a grape vineyard near Citra, FL)

　 I. Examples to distinguish insect sounds from background noise:
　 　 Not all extraneous sounds can be distinguished from insects as easily as in I.1-I7 below, but the human ear can be trained to distinguish the typical clicking and slipping noises of subterranean insects from the drones of machinery or incidental wind noise.  Here are some examples you can try for yourself.

I.1. Insect sounds mixed with plane noise, recorded from underground microphone in a field at Auburn, AL.   [1.4kB, 30 s]

This lively site contained 6 tenebrionids, 2 millipedes, 2 earthworms, 1 wireworm, 1 armyworm, a mature cydnid, and an immature cydnid.  (Recorded by Jamie Brandhorst-Hubbard with a soil microphone).  For reference, see   [172 kB].

I.2. Insect sounds mixed with plane noise, shorter segment of I.1. [733 kB ,15 s]
I.3. Plane noise recorded with accelerometer on nail inside a pot at the Monrovia nursery, Dayton, OR. [733 kB, 15 s]

(For reference see black vine weevil sounds).

I.4. Plane and truck noise at commercial nursery.  (See I.3). [733 kB, 15 s]
I.5. Truck noise recorded in a pot containing black vine weevil larvae.  (See I.3). [733 kB, 15 s]
I.6. Wind noise and background

recorded from an accelerometer on a nail inserted into a field at Oregon State University.  (see I.3). [733 kB, 15 s]

I.7. Wind noise and background

recorded from an accelerometer on nail inside a pot containing black vine weevil larvae.  (see I.3). [733 kB, 15 s]

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http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/docs.htm?docid=10919 10/26/12 Richard Mankin 　 Acknowledgments: Joe Benshemesh Keith Chandler Yu-Kun Chiu James Cuda Omotola Dosunmu Everett Foreman Frauke Fedderwitz Alexandra Ghalayini Mirian Hay-Roe Elizabeth Heatherington Nathan Herrick Jamee Hubbard Johari Jalinas Eric Kaufmann Stephen Lapointe Brittany Lampson Gary Leibee Rafa Lopez Aubrey Moore Barukh Rohde German Rubio Christian Salcedo Peter Samson Will Sanders Michael T. Smith Betty Weaver Erik Wenninger Minling Zhang Ariel Zych