Moths can identify a flower's scent from a distance of hundreds of meters away but any competing odors nearby may affect their ability to trace the flower's scent, according to a new study.

To understand how insects find flowers from a long distance, a team of researchers from the University of Washington and University of Arizona conducted an experiment on the tobacco hornworm moth, a nocturnal species of the moth that can find flowers from a long distance.

Found in Canada and Central America, the tobacco hornworm moth has a wingspan of nearly 4 inches. In the United States, this species favored the flower Sacred Datura.

The researchers used a wind tunnel linked to an odor-stimulus system. They used computer commands to see how well these insects could distinguish the scent of Sacred Datura. They filled the tunnel with several different smells from different plants and creosote bushes. In addition, they included some chemicals created by vehicles.

The experiment revealed that the moths could identify the flower's smell even hundreds of meters away if there were not any competing smell nearby. They also found that other smells might affect these insects' ability to trace the flower and interfere with their olfactory system's normal function.

Leif Abrell, a researcher from the University of Arizona, said, "The total combination of dynamic odors, including floral signature odors as well as anthropogenic pollutants, can affect the success of olfactory-based resource finding."

The team of the researchers examined the tobacco hornworm moths' neuron pathways via the electrode linked to these insects' antennal lobe. The antennae is linked to its olfactory system, and functions as these insects' nose.

The study published in the most-recent issue of the journal Science.