Ten midges suffice to make a swarm

Nature : When midges swarm, they do not execute the dramatic collective swoops and turns of flocks of starlings or schools of fish. Nevertheless, by tightly confining their individual flight patterns, the small flying insects do exhibit collective, self-organized behavior. Nicholas Ouellette and James Puckett of Yale University used high-speed video cameras to investigate the statistics of swarming. In a paper published this week in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the pair reports that just 10 midges are needed to trigger the onset of self-organized behavior. Their results will constrain generic models that seek to mimic swarming based on interactions among the swarm’s members.