Why are moths unable to fly during an earthquake?

As a fly's body rotates, the same inertial forces that spin a gyroscope cause the halteres to deflect and send signals that allow the fly to straighten up and fly right. It seems that they are unable to detect the correct forces, as there's a lot of disturbance during earthquakes, which makes it difficult for them to fly. read more

Sensors at base of antennae, called mechanosensors, detect these mechanical movements and send signals to the moth's brain so the moth can correct its orientation. Disoriented and destabilized. The researchers cut off a moth's antennae to test how important they were to stabilizing the moth's flight. read more