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A force diagram shows how an instability in body pitch develops. During hovering, the wings flap back and forth to produce lift that balances body weight. A perturbation to the pitch orientation causes the insect to move forwards. Drag on the wings then becomes unbalanced, inducing a torque that tends to tip the insect backwards. This simplified picture highlights some of the important effects to be incorporated in a model of the pitch dynamics. (Online version in colour.)
