Bumble Bees can't fly?

[Flibert]

I read a book and it said that because of there supierior bdy size to their wings, scientificly they can't fly.
Can anyone tell me more about it? 'Cause I couldn't understand what it said.

[RATTER15]

in theory that is correct but in practice they obviously do fly due to the enormous down force they exert on their wings and the speed in which their wings move!!!


Actually I think I may have made up most of that, but I'm sure you know what I mean!!

[divegirl]

lol Rats.....you been on the vino?

That said....I have seen some huge bees of late and it amazes me that they can walk let alone fly!!!!!

Lisa x

Ps....love the website Ian.....may have to order something for myself :o] Hope Carakeel and yourself are well .xxx.

[wildwood]

I am making this up too, but it makes sense to me... I think.

The wing area in relation to the body bulk dictated that according to aerodynamic theory bumble bees shouldn't be able to fly. Helicopters subscribe to the same physics. However, BB's wings - and all insect's wings - are not moved by muscles directly. The wings are attached to the exoskeleton on a pulley system and it is the external body hull [exoskeleton] that vibrates at a much faster rate than would be possible than if the wings were powered by muscles directly.

When a bumble bee takes off it can be observed to buzz its wings for a while before actually taking off. The period is related to the ambient temperature. If cold it takes longer. The reason for the preflight warmup is precisely that... it needs to warm up its body in order for the vibrating muscles to work fast enough for lift off.

[Clanad]

Actually, it's not the speed of the bee's wing movement, but rather the force applied. In fact too much speed is detrimental in a number of ways. One of the limiting factors in the design of propeller driven aircraft is the maximum speed of the propeller at its tip end. It can only achieve a speed just under the speed of sound without destroying the thrust of the propeller. This limitation is reached when the maximum propeller length vs. RPM is achieved. Some propellers actually turn very slowly by comparison to others yet achieve greater thrust by a more powerful engine. Such as it is with the venerable bumble bee (as well as many other insects).

[andy-hughes]

The original concept that bees shouldn't be able to fly used the physics at the time - and applied rules relating fixed wing areas to body weight. Under those rules, a bee would indeed be unable to fly - but as has been explained, the bee's wings are not fixed, and are able to generate enough fleibile movement to displace sufficient air to proel the insect off the ground and through the air.

The original theory was offered by Tom Baker in a 'Doctor Who' epidosde, and I, along with millions of other impressionable viewers, took it to be gospel, and quoted it liberally.

To be fair, if memory serves, the good Doctor opined that a bumble be 'should not be able to fly' - which using the original theory is a correct statement.

[Teddio]

To take off a bee must produce an upwards thrust force greater than its weight. The thrust force is generated by its beating wings. Aerodynamic theory used to predict that it was impossible for a bee to generate such a large thrust.

[Bellringer]

The thing is, that although aerodynamically Bumble Bees can't fly. Nobody has told the Bumble bee.

[newtron]

If your model cannot explain what is observed, then you are using the wrong model.

[SteveD]

It's a myth (of course):

http://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/~ben/zetie1.htm