I’m definitely going to miss summer, but the colder weather that’s coming my way at least means maybe I won’t have so many flies around my house.
Finally.
But, then, that endless buzzing isn’t really for me.
Research finds that fruit flies are singing courtship songs to potential mates.
The 2018 research from Mala Murphy and colleagues at Princeton University looked at the way male fruit flies beat their wings to create a musical sound.
It can sound random, but the researchers say that’s because the flies are basically improvising.
They adjust the character and volume of their courtship song for each individual female.
It’s sort of how humans sometimes shift our demeanor to try to impress someone while on a date.
The females are just as particular.
They’ll listen to these songs for a pretty long time before making a decision to move on from a potential suitor, or, to maybe have a quiet evening together, sharing some honeydew melon while gazing into each other’s compound eyes.
Speaking of being together, Lacey Shillinglaw made an unusual friend this year.
The teen from the West Midlands in the UK saw a bee with a crumpled wing, and tried to put it on a flower to give it a place to go.
But the bee decided it would rather go with Lacey, who has renamed her new bee buddy Betty.
How Fruit Flies Woo a Mate (Simons Foundation)
Teenager keeps bumble bee as pet after it followed her home (Cornwall Live)
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