Behaviour Special Interest Group (SIG) 2026

Emerging themes: Novel techniques and approaches in insect behaviour studies

Date: Tuesday 10 February 2026 (9.30am – 5pm)

Venue: The Studio, Birmingham and online

The Behaviour SIG is a forum for the exchange of information, ideas and techniques relating to insect behaviour.

Insects have a major impact on our lives, as they pollinate, as well as devastate, crop plants, transmit diseases and may serve as a potential source of nutrition. With over one million species described and four million hypothesised to exist, insects are the most diverse group of animals, and such diversity is reflected in their behaviour.

Insects can be great study subjects, as their behaviour can be fairly easily investigated at all levels of analysis, championing our understanding of biological phenomena in general. Not surprising that the 2017 Nobel prize was given for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms using Drosophila.

Technological advancements in the last few decades have increasingly allowed the elucidation of insect behaviour that is now inspiring robotic technology, sensor development, neural processing and many more fields.

The aim of this meeting is for researchers and companies to share their experience of novel techniques and technology to advance the study of insect behaviour. Topics may include, but are not exclusive to, biotremology, monitoring and detection, air pressure influences, electroreception and gravitational waves.

Programme

The full programme is now available below and consist of both online and in-person talks, with two keynote speakers. (Abstract submission is now closed).

Evening Social

We have reserved a small area at Cosy Club Birmingham Bennetts Hill | Brunch, Cocktails & All-Day Dining at the bar on the evening of Monday 9 February from 6.30pm. Please do join us if you are able to! There will be the opportunity to purchase your own food and drinks there.

Keynote speakers

Prof. Daniel Robert, University of Bristol, United Kingdom

Electric ecology and electroreception in arthropods

Daniel Robert is professor of bionanoscience at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol. He and his team investigate the biophysical mechanisms used by organisms to sense and acquire information from their environment. Paying due attention to selected insect species, he discovered the third principle of directional hearing in the animal kingdom, which is based on the mechanical coupling between the ears of small tachinid parasitoid flies (Ormia ochracea).

This discovery enabled the development of bio-inspired microscale subwavelength directional microphones. Looking at mosquitoes, fruit flies and tree crickets, Robert and his team discovered active auditory mechanics in invertebrates, a process emulating that reported in humans and other mammalian species. Spending some quality time in the company of Colombian bushcrickets, he and Fernando Montealegre-Z discovered that the mechanism used for auditory spectral analysis is analogous and evolutionarily convergent to that of humans.

With attention turning to pollinators and their sensory ecology, it became apparent that bees and flowers interact using static electricity, with bees showing their capacity to detect weak floral electric fields. Since then, Robert and his team showed that other arthropod species, such as spiders, caterpillars and treehoppers are sensitive to, and use electrostatic charge and associated electric fields in various sensory ecological contexts.  

Collectively, Robert’s work reveals the existence of an electrostatic informational ecology, and the associated detection of electrostatic fields – aerial electroreception – which are omnipresent, enabling a sensory modality alien to humans.

Dr Diego M. Magalhães, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil

An Underrated Signal: Atmospheric Pressure as a Driver of Insect Behaviour

Diego M. Magalhães is a biologist with a focus on chemical ecology. After earning a Master’s in Ecology and a PhD in Zoology from the University of Brasília, he pursued research fellowships at EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and at Rothamsted Research, delving into the volatile signals that guide plant, microbe, and insect interactions.

He is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, and serves as a councillor for the Latin American Association of Chemical Ecology. His work investigates how organisms communicate through airborne chemicals and how these exchanges shape ecological processes, with the aim of turning this knowledge into sustainable and innovative strategies for pest management in agroecosystems.

Convenors

Jozsef Vuts, Rothamsted Research – jozsef.vuts@rothamsted.ac.uk

Jozsef is a chemical ecologist, working in the field of pest-host interactions. He currently leads research on ecology-inspired solutions for crop and agroforestry pest management, including the identification of microbe-derived attractants for the recruitment of pest natural enemies, developing methods to isolate natural products with semiochemicals properties from the rhizosphere, or the development of female attractants for a range of crop pests.

Jozsef applies a lab-to-field approach to his research, using laboratory techniques [dynamic headspace collection, high-resolution gas chromatography (GC), GC-coupled electroantennography (GC-EAG), preparative-scale GC, olfactometry] to characterize semiochemical bioactivity, and field experiments to confirm bioactivity at the field scale. Through his collaborative network both within and outside Rothamsted Research, he works with industrial partners and stakeholders to maximise the impact of his research.

Michelle Fountain, NIAB EMR – Michelle.Fountain@niab.com

Michelle specialises in the minimisation of pesticide use in fruit horticulture, improving pollination in fruit crops and incorporating modern fruit growing practices with Integrated Pest Management. The former includes research on improving pest monitoring by developing semiochemical manipulation of insects, optimising the use of biological control agents and enhancing and fostering local landscape ecology to provide the ecosystem service of pest control.

Her pollination research focuses on the delivery of insect pollinators to fruit crops through identification of key species and enhancement of habitat in and around crops, including wildflower and nesting resource establishment. She leads research on invasive pest species, such as, Drosophila suzukii, Halyomorpha halys and Anthonomus sp. and is a taxonomic specialist of Collembola, Araneae and fruit crop fauna. She communicates research to growers and agronomists and authors best practice guidelines and factsheets for pest control in fruit crops. She is also Convenor of the IOBC Expert Group: “Integrated Protection of Fruit Crops”

Exhibition and Sponsorship

We are delighted to welcome Zantiks as an exhibitor.

We would love to hear from you if you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at the event. The brochure below highlights some of the options available, including being present in the hub of the conference through exhibition and a Headline Sponsor. If you would like to partner with us or discuss other bespoke opportunities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Registration

Registration is now open at the bottom of this page. Please note there are discounted rates for members of the RES, so if you are not a member already, consider joining today!

To access discounted member rates, you must be logged into your account before registering.

Note – We do not provide recordings of events or presentations as standard, unless otherwise stated.