UC BERKELEY (US) — Flapping insects build up an electrical charge that makes it easier for spider webs to snare them, according to a new study.
The positive charge on an insect such as a bee or fly attracts the web, which is normally negatively or neutrally charged, increasing the chances that an insect flying by will contact and stick to the web, says Victor Manuel Ortega-Jimenez, a post-doctoral fellow at University of California, Berkeley.