In the previous issue of Blown Away we introduced you to the research being undertaken to both predict when a connecting wind event would arrive, and to collect any moths or particles in the air during our surveillance sampling activities. OMV staff and contractors have now been looking for moths that may have arrived on their brightly lit offshore platforms for the last nine months. Māui B is 55 kilometres west of the Taranaki coast, and the FPSO Raroa is 80 kilometres south. This surveillance enabled 40 insects to be collected from Māui B, and 14 from the FPSO Raroa. The greatest number of interceptions were in October and November 2025, and in mid-summer, January 2026. The majority of moths were captured alive from the top deck in the morning during west to north-west winds, when staff undertook their dawn safety inspections. The moths had presumably been attracted to the bright lights of the platform the night before, and come to rest on a surface, however sometimes specimens were retrieved drowned in a puddle of rain or salt spray. Due to this, the quality of the specimen varies. Almost no moths ended up within our collecting vessels hung beneath a clear Perspex “flight intercept trap”.

Following interception, all moths were frozen and transported back to our laboratories where they were photographed, given a preliminary identification and then dissected to obtain the most value from each one. From this inspection we could estimate whether the moth was carrying eggs or fatbody (generally both are depleted as they have been resorbed to fuel the long-distance flight). Legs were then taken for molecular identification of the moth to species (by comparing the molecular sequence of the COX1 gene region to two international databases), one set of wings was cleaned in solvent, dried and sent to the University of Ottawa to obtain δ2H (hydrogen) isotope readings, and the other wings and thorax were dried and sent to the University of Otago to obtain 87Sr/86Sr ratio elemental stable isotope readings. Our aim is that these data sets will provide us a strong indication of where each moth was feeding on its host plant when it was a caterpillar.

No butterflies were captured during the surveillance on the offshore platforms. But there were two surprises – three specimens of burnt pine longhorn beetles and seven specimens of diamondback moth. While beetles are not thought to be able to fly so far offshore, we are curious whether they had hitchhiked a ride to the platform with equipment and supplies. Diamondback moths are believed to be able to fly 1000 km/day over the sea (Chapman et al 2002) and New Zealand populations have the same genetics are Australia. It has been hypothesised that the high gene flow and arrival of resistance to pesticides only used in Australia indicated Australian moths were getting here by either hitchhiking on imported commodities such as broccoli that don’t require treatment, or wind-assisted dispersal (Voice and Chapman 2000, New Zealand Plant Protection 53:83-86). We may have captured more evidence that indeed they do make the journey here when wind connections are present. Our next step will be to analyse wind patterns in the two days before the interceptions. We expect the data from the elemental analyses may allow us to infer where the beetles came from but sadly diamondback moth bodies are too small to provide us with reliable readings on their natal origin, and genetic differentiation will also not reveal their population of origin. The wind vector analyses coupled with the date of arrival to the platforms will therefore be crucial.

In our last newsletter, we introduced you to the airborne travellers – pest moths – and the research underway at the University of Canterbury helping us understand how they reach Aotearoa. Not much is known about whether moths undertaking wind-assisted migrations can avoid rain clouds or cope with raindrop impacts but this is another important challenge faced during migration. Researchers in China have recorded moths flying over land rapidly descend to avoid flying in heavy rain, but if they do this when flying over the sea this would be a flight-ending decision.

In March 2026, master’s student William Falconer Beach began a unique set of experiments examining the impact of raindrops on fall armyworm moths in flight. He has already achieved free-flying fall armyworm moths, and is able to capture on high-speed video their interactions with raindrops released above them. From these he will be able to extract the vertical components of velocity and droplet sizes to determine the momentum loss to the flying moth. The following are all possible: wing deformation, wing damage, wing gait interruption, droplet push/ coat/ or splash, and/or vertical / horizontal momentum loss. Ultimately, he will be able to assess the impact of raindrop impacts falling at terminal velocity, onto the lift/ thrust energy lost during flight.

Dr Stephen Archer

Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, Palmerston North
Research Area 4 co-leader

Steve is a Senior Scientist with the Bioeconomy Science Institute in Palmerston North, studying the microbial ecology of airborne microorganisms and ruminants. His expertise includes airborne microorganisms, field sampling, DNA analysis, science outreach. He has led a broad range of projects involving the molecular genetic analysis of microbial communities in extreme and non-extreme environments around the world. He is excited to put his expertise towards understanding the extent and frequency microbial aerial invaders – such as myrtle rust – travel across the ditch and to better understand the drivers of this dispersion so that he may help modellers get ahead of the invisible pathogens that threaten our beautiful natural heritage.

Taiāwhio Bryers

Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, Rotorua
Emerging Researcher within Research Area 4

I whānau mai au i te takiwā o Herekawe. He manawa eke ngaru mai i Waikaranga ki te pūwaha o Waiwhakaiho. He ika whakatiketike i ngā wai tuku kiri, i ngā wai tuku oranga ō te mounga tītōhea.

He ia whakaheke o Te-Tai-Tokerau, Te-Pūreora-ō-Kahu, Te-Tai-Hau-ā-Uru me Te-Pātaka-o-Rākaihautu. Tēnā koutou katoa.

Taiāwhio is a Research Assistant at the Bioeconomy Science Institute offering technical support to science projects and exploring Kaupapa Māori led pathways within the te ao Māori research group. Born in Ngāmotu, Taranaki, he grew up around a diverse community and was nurtured by speakers of te reo o Taranaki (Taranaki dialect). Descending from Ngā Rauru, Ngā Ruahine and Ngāti Maru, he brings his own connections to people and places in Taranaki and an enthusiasm to explore science alongside mana whenua. Within the Protecting Aotearoa programme his role has assisted with Lepidoptera (moth) trapping and identification, and supporting educational outreach programs for local whānau, hapū, iwi and communities of Taranaki.

Renelle O’Neill

Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, Rotorua
Molecular biology Researcher within Research Area 4

Renelle is a molecular biologist working in the Pathogen Diagnostics and Collections team on a variety of molecular diagnostics. Much of her work involves fungal and oomycete forest pathogens, with extension into insect diagnostics for species-level identification of trapped specimens. Renelle’s specialisations are PCR, qPCR and DNA sequencing from assay development and optimisation through to data processing.

Dr Nicolas Davies

Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, Christchurch
Scientist - Research Area 4 collaborator

Nicolas is a multidisciplinary scientist specialising in the application of mathematical approaches to the agriculture and forestry sectors. Recently, his work has involved the rapid development of a life cycle and overwintering model for fall army worm as part of a bio-security response.