Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the magnetic field sensitivity in insects. Experimental evidence for magnetic field sensitivity has been reported in insects belonging to various orders, including Isoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. There is evidence that a few insect species obtain directional information from geomagnetic fields for compass orientation. Two alternative properties of the local geomagnetic vector could serve this purpose. Magnetic compass orientation can be useful for insects in the context of home range (topographic) orientation and during long-distance migration, especially in the absence of visual compass cues. Both honey bees building combs in darkness and blind termites building oriented mounds appear to use magnetoreception for aligning their structures. On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine how an insect could make adaptive use of sensing the absolute strength of the local geomagnetic field. In flight, the honeybee, Apis mellifera, also uses a magnetic compass in home range orientation. Foraging bees approaching the vicinity of their “target” learn the precise location of resources with respect to surrounding landmarks so they can return to the same place in the future. The most popular hypothesis assumes fast “snapshot”–—like recall of near-target constellations of landmarks. The returning bee finds the target location by matching the current perception of landmarks with the “snapshot memories” of them. While learning the spatial relations of landmarks, bees face in a preferred compass direction, using directional light and the geomagnetic field.
