flight mill prep
Preparing navel orangeworm moths (Amyelois transitella) for flight mill testing is not for the fumble fingered. Individual moths—at most 11 millimeters long—are chilled and then glued to a tiny insect pin at the end of an arm of hypodermic tubing on a flight mill (top right). The mill features a thin arm of lightweight tubing that spins while mounted atop a post. The moth is counterbalanced by a dab of painter’s putty of the same weight, so each moth must be individually weighed; most weigh about 7 milligrams. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Reger)