A subsidiary page of The Radar Entomology Web Site.

A chronology of "significant" campaigns with references to publications arising from them.

Campaigns have been included if they lasted more than ~7 days and if they had biological (rather than just technical) objectives. Observations by radar meteorologists that have focussed specifically on insect targets as a source of "clear air echo", and some of the most interesting of the "dot angel" studies, have also been included.

1949. January: Gila Bend, Arizona, USA, Naval Electronics Laboratory and Bell Telephone Laboratory - first confirmed detection of insects by radar. (Crawford 1949).

1951. July: Chesapeake Bay, ?Virginia, USA, Naval Research Laboratory - visual confirmation of insects as radar targets. (Bonham & Blake 1956).

1954. March: Persian Gulf, Royal Navy (U.K.) - radar detection of Desert Locust swarm. (Rainey 1955).

1959. July (also summer 1960 and 1963): ?Massachusetts, USA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - insects (probable) in sea breeze. (Geotis 1964).

1962. July: Delhi, India, National Physical Laboratory (India) - radar study of Desert Locust swarms. (Ramana Murty et al. 1964; Mazumdar, Bhaskara Rao & Gupta 1965).

1963. All year: Near Stockholm, Sweden, FOA (Research Institute of National Defence) - study of angel echoes, many attributed to insects. (Ottersten 1970).

1964. April-December: Wallops Island, Virginia, USA, MIT Lincoln Laboratory/Air Force Cambridge Research laboratories - insects in layers. (Hardy, Atlas & Glover 1966; Hardy & Glover 1966).

1965. June: central Oklahoma, USA, National Severe Storms Laboratory - Velocity-Azimuth Display (VAD) analysis of Doppler radar observations of "dot angel" (insect) echoes, including in a low-level jet wind. (Lhermitte 1966). September: Bedford, Massachusetts, USA, Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories - Velocity-Azimuth Display (VAD) analysis of Doppler radar observations of "dot angel" (insect) echoes. (Browning & Atlas 1966).

1966. May: Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA, USAF Cambridge Research Laboratories/Applied Physics Laboratory of John Hopkins University - insects in organised convection cells. (Hardy & Katz 1969). August: Vail, Arizona, USA, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona - Doppler and depolarization observations of "dot angel" (insect) echoes. (Lofgren & Battan 1969).

1967. August: Vail, Arizona, USA, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona - Doppler and depolarization observations of "dot angel" (insect) echoes. (Lofgren & Battan 1969).

1968. September-October: In Abangharit, Niger, LUT/ALRC - first demonstration of an entomological radar (photo.), with many migration phenomena revealed for the first time; grasshoppers, locusts, butterflies (Schaefer 1969; 1972; 1976; Roffey 1969).

1969. Summer: Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, U.S.A., USAElC - mosquito swarms (Frost 1970). July: San Diego, California, U.S.A., Naval Electronics Laboratory Center (US Navy) - insects and boundary-layer structure, FM-CW radar (Atlas, Harris & Richter 1970; Atlas et al. 1970; Battan 1973; Gossard & Chadwick 1979; Gossard & Strauch 1983). September: Fort Hancock, New Jersey, U.S.A., USAElC - mosquito swarms (Frost 1970, 1971a, 1971b).

1970. February: San Diego, California, U.S.A., Naval Electronics Laboratory Center (US Navy) - insects and boundary-layer structure, FM-CW radar (Gossard & Strauch 1983). August: Manahawkin, New Jersey, U.S.A., USAElC - mosquito swarms (Downing & Frost 1972). ?Month-January 1971: Dire Dawa and Urso, Ethiopia, LUT/DLCOEA/ALRC - scanning radar trials.

1971. March: Coonamble, New South Wales, Australia - mixed species LUT/CSIRO (Schaefer 1976; Roffey 1972). June: Chateauroux, France, Observatoire du Puy de Dome - "angel" (insect) echoes in stable and convective boundary layers, 8.6-mm radar (Campistron & Sauvageot 1974; Campistron 1975). Summer: Manahawkin, New Jersey, U.S.A., USAElC - mosquito swarms (Frost 1971a, 1971b). October-November: Gezira, Sudan, LUT/AARU - mainly grasshoppers (Schaefer 1976). November-December: Carrathool, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO - mixed species (Roffey 1972).

1972. January: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO/Sydney University School of Electrical Engineering/Australian Department of Transport - "angels" on air-traffic control radars. February-March: Tihamah, Saudi Arabia, COPR - individual desert locusts (Riley 1973, 1974). March: Cunnamulla, Queensland, Australia, CSIRO - Australian plague locusts. April (San Diego) and August (Salton Sea), California, U.S.A., Naval Electronics Laboratory Center (US Navy) and ARS, FM/CW radar - crickets, moths, and other insects (Richter et al. 1973; Gossard & Strauch 1983). May-June: Fort Sill, Oklahoma, U.S.A., USAElC - insects as "radar clutter" (Frost & Robinson 1973). July-August: Chateauroux, France, Observatoire du Puy de Dome - "angel" (insect) echoes in stable and convective boundary layers, 8.6-mm radar (Campistron & Sauvageot 1974; Campistron 1975). November: Lapithos and Athienous, Cyprus, COPR - Spodoptera littoralis emigration and immigration.

1973. February San Diego, California, U.S.A., Naval Electronics Laboratory Center (US Navy) and ARS, FM/CW radar (Richter et al. 1973; Gossard & Strauch 1983). June: Aspendale, Victoria, Australia, CSIRO/CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Physics - mixed species, movement across Port Phillip bay. July: Chipman, New Brunswick, Canada, LUT/AARU/CFS - spruce budworm moths (Schaefer 1976; Rainey & Haggis 1987). September-October: Stanley, Tasmania, Australia, CSIRO - early spring moth migrations across Bass Strait (Drake et al. 1981). October: Gezira, Sudan, LUT/AARU - mainly grasshoppers (Schaefer 1976). October-November: Kara, Mali, COPR - grasshoppers (Riley & Reynolds 1986, 1990; Riley 1989).

1974. February: Benalla, Victoria, Australia, CSIRO - Australian plague locusts and other insects by day (in convection) and night (Reid, Wardhaugh & Roffey 1979). March: Edgeroi, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO/COPR - mixed species, and measurements of echoes from released insects. July: Chipman & Renous (two sites simultaneously), New Brunswick, Canada, LUT/AARU/CFS - spruce budworm moths (Dickison et al. 1986; Rainey 1989) [photo]. July: ?San Diego, California?, U.S.A., Naval Electronics Laboratory Center (US Navy) - insects and boundary-layer structure, FM-CW radar (Gossard & Chadwick 1979). July-August: Sterling, Colorado, U.S.A., ?organisation? - insects and boundary-layer structure, FM-CW radar (Gossard & Strauch 1983). July-August: Grover, Colorado, USA, NCAR - insects echo on Doppler weather radar (Gray et al. 1975). October: Gezira, Sudan, LUT/AARU [photo]. November: Kara, Mali, COPR - grasshoppers (Riley & Reynolds 1979, 1986, 1990; Riley 1989).

1975. July: Chipman & Juniper (two sites simultaneously), New Brunswick, Canada, LUT/AARU/CFS -spruce budworm moths, first use of airborne entomological radar (Greenbank, Rainey & Schaefer 1980; Rainey 1989; Schaefer 1979). October-November: Kara and Alfande, Mali (two sites simultaneously), COPR - grasshoppers, scanning and vertical-looking rotating-polarisation radars (Riley & Reynolds 1979, 1986, 1990; Riley 1989).

1976. March: Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO - mixed species, and observations of behaviour during spraying. July: Acadia, New Brunswick, Canada, LUT/AARU/CFS - spruce budworm moths, airborne entomological radar (Schaefer 1979; Greenbank, Rainey & Schaefer 1980; Rainey 1989; Rainey & Haggis 1988).

1977. January-February: Cape Wessell & Smith Point (two sites simultaneously), Northern Territory, Australia, CSIRO/COPR - migration across Arafura Sea. July-December: Nagoya, Japan, Water Research Institute, Nagoya University - insects as "clear-air echo" (Takeda & Murabayashi 1981). August: Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, U.K., COPR - observations over River Severn and at altitude, but only low numbers of insects were detected. December-March 1978: Waraber Island, Queensland, Australia, CSIRO - migration across Torres Strait.

1978. All year, but especially August: Nagoya, Japan, Water Research Institute, Nagoya University - insects as "clear-air echo" (Takeda & Murabayashi 1981). September-March 1979: Trangie, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO with APLC - grasshoppers and moths, with observations of insects in solitary wave disturbances of the atmospheric boundary layer (Drake 1984a; Drake 1985a). September-October: Daoga and Tin Aouker, Mali (two sites simultaneously), COPR - Oedaleus senegalensis, Diabolocatantops axillaris, and other grasshoppers, scanning and vertical-looking rotating-polarisation radars (Reynolds & Riley 1983, Riley & Reynolds 1983, 1986, 1990; Riley 1989). Fall: Phoenix, Arizona, WCRL - insects over a cottonfield and adjacent desert (Wolf 1979).

1979. March-April: Mt Margaret/Akira ranch, Kenya, COPR - African armyworm, two radars (one at emigration site and one "downrange" from it) and IR moth detector (Riley, Reynolds & Farmery 1981). April-October: Phoenix/Rainbow Valley, Arizona, WCRL - unidentified insects, a variety of migration phenomena and flight above and from cotton (Wolf 1979; Lingren & Wolf 1982; Lingren et al. 1982). May: Watonga, Oklahoma, USA, NCAR - insects on Doppler weather radar (Wilson et al. 1980). July: Cranfield, U.K., CIT - aphids (including trap calibration) (Schaefer, Bent & Cannon 1979; Bent 1984; Schaefer, Bent & Allsopp 1985). October-December: Trangie, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO - mainly acridids, including Australian plague locusts (Drake 1982a, 1983; Drake & Farrow 1983).

1980. February-April: near Lukenya Hill, Kenya, COPR - African armyworm, two radars (one at emigration site and one "downrange" from it) and IR moth detector (Riley, Reynolds & Farmery 1983). August: Tifton, Georgia, USA, WCRL and SGIRL - unidentified insects (Lingren & Wolf 1982). September: Trangie, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO - early spring moth migrations (Drake 1985b) (photo). December: Canberra, Australia, CSIRO; observations of beetle flight and of insects in a sea breeze front (Drake 1982b).

1981. March-September: Tifton, Georgia, USA, SGIRL - unidentified insects, a variety of migration phenomena (Raulston et al. 1982; Wolf & Pair 1982). September: Corny Point, South Australia, Australia, CSIRO - early spring moth migrations (Drake 1984b; Drake & Farrow 1985).

1982. January-February: Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO - insects on sea breeze. March: Mara River, Kenya, COPR - African armyworm, scanning and vertical-looking rotating-polarisation radars (Riley & Reynolds1986; Riley 1989). March-April: La Paloma (near Brownsville) and College Station, Texas, USDA-ARS - probably mainly moths including Heliothis spp. (Westbrook et al. 1987, Wolf et al. 1986, Westbrook. 2008). April-May: near Lukenya Hill, Kenya, COPR - African armyworm, scanning radar and mark-and-capture experiment (Rose et al.1985). June: near Champaign, Illinois, USA, INHS/ISWS - dual-polarization observations of insects and other targets, using CHILL S-band and tracking X-band radars simultaneously (Mueller & Larkin 1985). October: Gulf of Mexico, USDA-ARS - moths and other insects, ship-borne radar (Wolf et al. 1986). [Photo.]

1983. ?March: Los Banos, Philippines, TDRI - planthoppers, millimetric radar. April-May: Gulf of Mexico, USDA-ARS - moths and other insects, ship-borne radar (Wolf et al. 1986). [Photo.] September: College Station, Texas, USA, USDA-ARS - fall migration of unidentified insects (Sparks et al. 1985).

1984. February: Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia, CSIRO - moths. March: Los Banos, Philippines, TDRI with CSIRO - planthoppers, millimetric radar (Riley, Reynolds & Farrow 1987). June: Ying County, Shanxi province, China, JAAS - meadow moths (Chen et al. 1992, Sun 1998); Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, USDA-ARS - spring migration of insects, possibly Heliothis or Spodoptera (Pair et al. 1987). July-August: Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm moths (Sun 1998). August: Illinois, USA, INHS/ISWS - aphids and other insects, CHILL dual-polarisation Doppler radar (Hendrie et al. 1985; Irwin & Thresh 1988). September-October: Ararat, Australia, CSIRO- early spring moth immigration. September: Plainview and Eden, Texas, USA, USDA-ARS - fall migration of unidentified insects (Sparks et al. 1985; Pair et al. 1987). November: Hillston & Hay, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO with APLC - Australian plague locust migration.

1985. May-June: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, PMRU - Heliothis and other moths (Miller 1987; Wolf et al. 1993, 1995); Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm moths (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). June: near Helsinki, Finland, University of Helsinki - birds feeding on insects in sea breeze, Doppler radar (Puhakka, Koistinen & Smith 1986). June-August: near Uppsala, Sweden, SUAS - carabid beetles (walking), harmonic radar (Mascanzoni & Wallin 1986); Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm moths (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). July: Lawrence, Kansas, USDA-ARS with Univ. of Kansas Dept. of Entomology and CHBRC - honeybee drones (Loper, Wolf & Taylor 1987, 1988). November-December: ICRISAT experimental farm, near Hyderabad, India, TDRI - Heliothis armigera flight and migration (Riley et al. 1992), and trial of prototype nutating-beam vertical-looking radar.

1986. February: Emerald, Queensland, Australia. (CSIRO, with ARS). Month?: near Uppsala, Sweden, SUAS - carabid beetles walking, harmonic radar (Wallin & Ekbom 1988). May-June: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, APMRU - Heliothis and other moths (Wolf et al. 1993, 1995). June: Gongzhuling, Jilin Province, China, JAAS with CSIRO - oriental armyworm moths (Chen et al. 1989; Chen et al. 1995, Sun & Chen 1999) [photo]. July: Burleson County, Texas, PMRU - scanning radar (Beerwinkle, Lopez & Witz 1988). July-August: Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm moths (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). November-December: ICRISAT experimental farm, near Hyderabad, India, TDRI - Heliothis armigera flight and migration (Riley et al. 1992).

1987. March-April: Tucson/Willcox/Sonoita, Arizona, CIPMRU with CHBRC - honeybee drones (Loper, Wolf & Taylor 1988, 1992, 1993). Spring: Munster, Germany, Zoological Institute of Munster University and SUAS -carabid beetle walking movements, harmonic radar (Hockmann et al. 1989). May-June: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, APMRU - Heliothis and other moths, and trial of airborne entomological radar (Hobbs & Wolf 1989, 1996; Wolf et al. 1993, 1995); Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm moths (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). October-November: Eugowra, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO. July: Burleson County, Texas, USA, PMRU - scanning radar (Beerwinkle, Lopez & Witz 1988). July: North Dakota, USA, North Dakota Atmospheric Resource Board/ISWS - CHILL dual-polarisation Doppler radar, grasshoppers (unconfirmed) interacting with gust front (Achtemeier 1991a; 1991b; 1991c; 1992). July-August: near Bordeaux, France, Universite Paul Sabatier - 8.6-mm radar, insect concentrations forming offshore at night (Sauvageot & Despaux 1996). November-December: ICRISAT experimental farm, near Hyderabad, India, TDRI - Heliothis armigera flight and migration (Riley et al. 1992).

1988. February-October: Burleson County, Texas, CIPMRU - scanning radar (Beerwinkle et al. 1994). March-April: Tucson, Arizona, CIPMRU with CHBRC - honeybee drones (Loper, Wolf & Taylor 1992, 1993). May: Helsinki, Finland, University of Helsinki Department of Meteorology (M. Leskinen) - Tuulia Doppler meteorological radar, aphids (Nieminen, 2000). May-June: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, APMRU - Heliothis and other moths (Wolf et al. 1993, 1995); Gongzhuling, Jilin Province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). June-August: San Joaquin Valley, California, University of California (Berkeley)/SUAS - harmonic radar, carabid beetle foraging (Wallin 1991). September: Jiangpu, Jiangsu Province, China, NAU/NRIRU - brown planthopper (Cheng et al. 1994; Riley et al. 1990, 1991; Riley 1992, 1995) (photo).

1989. February-October: Burleson County, Texas, CIPMRU - scanning radar (Beerwinkle et al. 1994). March: Lower Rio Grande Valley and southern Texas, Texas, IBPMRL - airborne and scanning radar observations of Heliothis moths (Wolf et al. 1990). March-April: Tucson, Arizona, CIPMRU with CHBRC - honeybee drone flight (Loper, Wolf & Taylor 1990, 1992, 1993). May-June: Bayuquan, Liaoning Province, China, JAAS with CSIRO - oriental armyworm (Chen et al. 1995, Sun & Chen 1999); Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, IBPMRL - Heliothis, Spodoptera and other moths, including observations with airborne radar (Hobbs & Wolf 1996; Pair et al. 1991; Wolf et al. 1990, 1993, 1995). June-July: near Uppsala, Sweden, SUAS - Pterostichus beetles, harmonic direction finder (Wallin & Ekbom 1994). October-November: Jugiong, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO with Dr S.L. Buchmann - honeybee foraging flights and drone congregation areas [photo]. November-January 1990: Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO - Heliothis moth flight (Drake 1990; Drake, Fitt & Rochester 1993; Drake & Rochester 1994).

 1990. January-December: Burleson County, Texas, CIPMRU - vertical-looking radar (Beerwinkle, Witz & Schleider 1993; Beerwinkle et al. 1995. March-April: Tucson/Willcox, Arizona, CIPMRU with CHBRC - honeybee drones (Loper, Wolf & Taylor 1990, 1992, 1993). May-June: Lower Rio Grande Valley and La Gloria, Texas, APMRU - Heliothis and other moths (Wolf et al. 1993, 1995; Westbrook et al. 1995); Caijia, Jilin Province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). June-July: near Stockholm, Sweden, SUAS - Pterostichus beetles, harmonic direction finder (Wallin & Ekbom 1994). August-September: Jiangpu, Jiangsu Province, China, NAU/NRIRU - brown planthopper (Ming et al. 1993; Cheng et al. 1994; Riley et al. 1994, 1995). November-January 1991: Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia, CSIRO with NRIRU - Heliothis moth flight (photo) and trial of NRI VLR (photo) (Drake, Fitt & Rochester 1993; Smith, Riley & Gregory 1993; Drake & Rochester 1994).

 1991. January-December: Burleson County, Texas, CIPMRU - vertical-looking radar (Beerwinkle, Witz & Schleider 1993; Beerwinkle et al. 1995). May-June: Caijia, Jilin Province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm moths (Chen et al. 1995; Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). July-August: Cape Canaveral, Florida, NCAR - Doppler meteorological radar, insects as "clear-air echo"/"aerial plankton" in sea breeze ("CaPE Experiment") (Wilson et al. 1994; Russell & Wilson 1996; Russell & Wilson 1997; Russell 1999, Russell & Wilson 2001). October: Dongxiang, Jiangxi Province, China, NAU/NRIRU - brown planthopper (Ming et al. 1993; Riley et al. 1995).

1992. February-March: Kansas, USA, NCAR - Doppler meteorological radar, insects as "clear-air echo" (Wilson et al. 1994). February-October: White Sands, New Mexico, USA, USARL - insects detected on FM-CW radar (McLaughlin 1993; Eaton, McLaughlin & Hines 1995). April-May: near Elgin, Scotland, Departments of Agriculture and Zoology, University of Aberdeen - carabid beetle walking movements, harmonic radar (Kennedy & Young 1993; Kennedy 1994). May-June: Lishu, Jilin Province, China, JAAS with ASOP/CSIRO - oriental armyworm (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). June-July: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, APMRU - corn earworm (Westbrook et al. 1995); Boulder, Colorado, NCAR - Doppler meteorological radar, insects as "clear-air echo" (Wilson et al. 1994). July: Yanqing, Beijing city, China, JAAS - Chinese pine moth flight over forests (Sun et al. 1995; Sun 1998).

 1993. May-June: Greeley, Colorado, USA, INHS and Colorado State University - observations of migrating aphids and other insects with helicopter-mounted trap and CHILL radar; Lishu, Jilin Province, China, JAAS - oriental armyworm (Sun 1998, Sun & Chen 1999). July: near Beijing, China, JAAS - Chinese pine moth flight over forests (Sun et al. 1995; Sun 1998). September-October: Akjoujt & Achram (consecutively), Mauritania, NRIRU - desert locusts, VLR and (Akjoujt only) scanning radar (Riley & Reynolds 1996, 1997) (photo).

 1994. ?Month: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, APMRU - observations of corn earworm Helicoverpa zea migration. May-June: Greeley, Colorado, USA, INHS and Colorado State University - observations of migrating aphids (including Russian Wheat Aphid Diuraphis noxia) and other insects with helicopter-mounted trap and CHILL radar. September: Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, APMRU - comparison of NEXRAD and entomological radar observations. September-October: Aioun el Atrouss, Mauritania, NRIRU - desert locusts, VLR (Riley & Reynolds 1996, 1997).

   1995. February-March: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, APMRU - early season corn earworm Helicoverpa zea migration. Autumn: Longreach, Queensland, Australia, ASOP with APLC - spur-throated locusts, IMR (Drake, Harman, & Hunter 1998). June: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, APMRU (with supplementary NEXRAD observations) - mid-season corn earworm and beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua migration (Westbrook & Wolf 1998, Westbrook 2008). June-November: Malvern, U.K., NRIRU - mixed species, VLR (Smith et al. 2000, Reynolds et al. 2005). ?Month/?Year: Near New Braunfels, Texas, USA, APMRU - ground truthing of NEXRAD measurements of insect migration. August: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR - bee flight, harmonic radar (Riley et al. 1996; Carreck 1996, Williams et al. 2000). August-September: Near San Angelo, Texas, USA, APMRU - observations of beet armyworm flight.

   1996 March, June: Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas (three sites simultaneously, plus supplementary NEXRAD observations), APMRU with ASOP - spring movements of Heliothis moths, scanning, tracking, and monitoring radars and identification studies (Drake et al. 1998, Westbrook & Wolf 1998). June: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR - bumblebee flight, harmonic radar (photo) (Osborne et al. 1999, Riley et al. 1999, Williams et al. 2000, Riley & Osborne 2001). July: Uvalde, Texas, APMRU - Heliothis departure from corn, and bat activity (McCracken & Westbrook 2002). August: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR - observations of bumblebee flight (Osborne et al. 1999, Riley et al. 1999, Williams et al. 2000), and feasibility study of tracking flights of male turnip moths to pheromones (Riley et al. 1998), harmonic radar. August-September: Seguin and College Station, Texas - observations of summer/early fall insect migration, including comparison trial of APMRU with ASOP entomological radars alongside NEXRAD weather radar (photos).

   1997. February: near Manuwatu, New Zealand, Department of Ecology, Massey University - harmonic direction finder study of ground beetles (Lövei et al. 1997). June: Helsinki, Finland, University of Helsinki Department of Meteorology (M. Leskinen) - Tuulia Doppler meteorological radar, diamondback moths. June-July: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR/University of Illinois Department of Entomology - observations of honeybee orientation flights with harmonic entomological radar (Riley & Osborne 2001); also (with Lund University Department of Ecology) of turnip moths (Riley & Osborne 2001). June-July: Brazos Valley, near College Station, Texas, APMRU, scanning radar - local and distant flights of corn earworms. July-December: Kanto Plain, Japan, Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan, scanning meteorological radar - insects as source of radar echo (Kusunoki 2002).

  1998. May-December: Bourke, New South Wales, Australia, ASoP/APLC/University of New England Insect Pest Management Group - moths and locusts, IMR (Drake et al. 2001). June-July: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR - harmonic radar observations of bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) orientation flights. August: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR/Lund University Department of Ecology - harmonic radar observations of male turnip moths (Agrotis segetum) flying in areas treated with large amounts of pheromone (Riley & Osborne 2001, Svensson et al. 2001, Reynolds et al. 2007a).

   1999. All year: Bourke, New South Wales, Australia, ASoP/APLC/University of New England Insect Pest Management Group - moths and locusts, IMR (Drake et al 2001, Drake et al 2002a, Wang & Drake 2004, Dean & Drake 2005, Drake 2005). May-December: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/IACR - insect flight and migration over south-central England, Vertical-Looking Radar, Reynolds et al. 2005. May-June: Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - observations of oriental armyworm moths. June: Harpenden, U.K., NRIRU/University of Illinois Department of Entomology - observations of honeybee orientation flights with harmonic entomological radar; Zhenlai, Jilin province, China, JAAS - observations of meadow moths. July: Cardington, UK, NRIRU/IACR - second VLR operated simultaneously with Harpenden unit ~50 km away and nearby aerial-trapping operations. July-August: Klein Luben (near Wittenberge), Germany, NRIRU/Freie Universität Berlin - study of honeybee navigation with harmonic entomological radar (Riley et al. 2003, Menzel et al. 2005, Reynolds et al. 2007b); Gongzhuling, Jilin province, China, JAAS - observations of oriental armyworm moths. September-October: Beijing, China, CAAS - study of autumn migration of cotton bollworm and other noctuid moths (Wu et al 2001) (first use of CAAS scanning entomological radar). September-: Thargomindah, Queensland, Australia, ASoP/APLC/University of New England Insect Pest Management Group - moths and locusts, IMR. October-: Malvern, U.K., NRIRU/IACR - insect flight and migration over west-central England, Vertical-Looking Radar.

  2000. All year: The Bourke and Thargomindah IMRs in Australia, ASoP/APLC/University of New England Insect Pest Management Group (Drake et al. 2002b, Harman & Drake 2004, Wang & Drake 2004) and the Malvern and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (NRIRU/IACR) (Reynolds et al. 2005, Wood et al. 2006, Reynolds et al. 2008) continued operating, with the latter incorporating a study of diamondback moth migrations (Chapman et al. 2002). May-June: Gongzhuling (Jilin province), China, JAAS - study of oriental armyworm immigration into NE China with JAAS scanning radar. July: Langfang (near Beijing), China, CAAS - study of cotton bollworm first migration period with CAAS scanning radar (PPI images available).

   2001. All year: The Malvern and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (NRIRU/IACR) continued operating (Reynolds et al. 2005, Chapman et al. 2006, Reynolds et al. 2008). The Malvern VLR was relocated to a new site, about 3 km from the previous one, in September. January-November: IMR at Bourke, NSW, Australia (ASoP/APLC/University of New England Insect Pest Management Group, Drake et al 2002b); operation of this group's second IMR, at Thargomindah, Qld, was suspended in February. May-October: Langfang (near Beijing), China, CAAS - study of migration by cotton bollworm, beet webworm (Feng et al. 2003, Feng et al. 2004b, Feng et al. 2005a, Feng et al. 2005b), and other species with CAAS scanning radar. July-August: Klein Luben (near Wittenberge), Germany, NRIRU/Freie Universität Berlin - study of honeybee navigation with harmonic entomological radar (Menzel et al. 2005).

 2002. All year: The Malvern and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (NRIRU/RREU) continue in operation (Chapman et al. 2005, Chapman et al. 2006). March-May/December: the Australian network of two IMRs at Bourke (NSW) and Thargomindah (Qld) (ASoP/APLC) brought back into operation, though the Bourke unit failed in May. April: Bourke (NSW)/Thargomindah (Qld) region, Australia, ASoP - investigation of spatial correlation of insect migration with mobile IMR (Dean et al. 2002). May-June: Oklahoma and Kansas, USA, University of Wyoming - airborne W-band observations of insects flying in daytime convection (Geerts & Miao 2005a, 2005b). May-October: Langfang (near Beijing), China, CAAS - study of migration by cotton bollworm, beet webworm (Feng et al. 2004a, Feng et al. 2004b, Feng et al. 2005a, Feng et al. 2005b), and ground beetles (Carabidae) (Feng et al. 2007) with CAAS scanning radar. June-July: Wu Qing county, near Beijing, China, Chinese Academy of Forestry/USDA-Forest Service - Anoplophora glabripenis beetles, harmonic direction finder (Williams et al. 2004). August-September: Harpenden, UK, RREU - harmonic entomological radar observations of foraging behaviour in British butterflies (Cant et al. 2005).

 2003. January-: The Malvern and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (RREU) continue in operation (Wood et al. 2006, Chapman et al. 2006, Reynolds et al. 2008). January-March(?): IMR at Thargomindah (Qld) (ASoP/APLC) continues in operation. May-October: Beihuangcheng Island (Bohai Sea, near Changdao, Shandong province), China, CAAS - scanning entomological radar observations of moth and dragonfly migration over the sea (Feng et al. 2006, Feng et al. 2008). July-August: RAF Wyton (near Huntingdon), UK - harmonic entomological radar (RREU) observations of 'vector' flights in honeybee foragers (Reynolds et al. 2007c).

 2004. January-: The Malvern and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (RREU) continued operating until April, when the Malvern unit was shut down prior to relocation to Chilbolton (Hampshire), where it recommenced operation in June (Chapman et al. 2006, Reynolds et al. 2008). May-October: Beihuangcheng Island (Bohai Sea, near Changdao, Shandong province), China, CAAS - scanning entomological radar observations of moth and dragonfly migration over the sea (Feng et al. 2006, Feng et al. 2008). August: IMR at Bourke (NSW, Australia) (ASoP/APLC) recommenced operation in an upgraded form, for a project on locust forecasting in collaboration with APLC. July-September: Chengdu city, SW China - initial trials of CAAS VLR (Zhang et al. 2007a). November: IMR at Thargomindah (Qld, Australia) recommenced operation.

 2005. All year : The Chilbolton and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (RREU) and the Bourke and Thargomindah IMRs in Australia (ASoP/APLC) continued in operation. May-October: Beihuangcheng Island (Bohai Sea, near Changdao, Shandong province), China, CAAS - scanning entomological radar observations of moth and ground beetle (Carabidae) migration over the sea (Feng et al. 2007, Feng et al. 2008). June-September: Zhenlai county, Jilin province, China - VLR (CAAS) observations of clover cutworm (Pyralidae) (Zhang et al. 2007b) and ground beetle (Carabidae) (Feng et al. 2007) flights.

 2006. All year : The Chilbolton and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (RREU) and the Bourke and Thargomindah IMRs in Australia (ASoP/APLC) continued in operation. May-June: East Wretham Heath (nr. Thetford, Norfolk), UK - harmonic entomological radar (RREU) observations of released Glanville Fritillary butterflies (with Univ. of Helsinki). May-October: Beihuangcheng Island (Bohai Sea, near Changdao, Shandong province), China, CAAS - scanning entomological radar observations of moth migration over the sea (Feng et al. 2008). June-September: Jining city, Inner Mongolia, China - VLR (CAAS) observations of ground beetle (Carabidae) flights.

 2007. All year : The Chilbolton and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (RREU) and the Bourke and Thargomindah IMRs in Australia (ASoP/APLC) continued in operation.

 2008. Jan- : The Chilbolton and Rothamsted VLRs in Britain (RREU) and the Bourke and Thargomindah IMRs in Australia (ASoP/APLC) continued in operation.

This chronology aims to be complete. Please send additions (and corrections) to Alistair Drake at a.drake@adfa.edu.au.

Back to: Radar Entomology - an Introduction; Milestones in Radar Entomology.

Last revised 2008Jul30, by Alistair Drake (a.drake@adfa.edu.au).