Flight: Impossible Flight?
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
How do bees fly?
In theory, bees shouldn’t be able to fly. Their bodies just don’t appear to be aerodynamically designed. But obviously bees do fly. Learn how.
Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Flight: Impossible Flight?
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
In theory, bees shouldn’t be able to fly. Their bodies just don’t appear to be aerodynamically designed. But obviously bees do fly. Learn how.
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Science Trek
Science Trek is a place where parents, kids, and educators can watch short, educational videos on a variety of science topics. Every Monday Science Trek releases a new video that introduces children to math, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career potentials in a fun, informative way.[MUSIC] JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: How do bees fly?
That's a mystery scientists have studied for years.
In 1934, two French scientists calculated that bee flight was aerodynamically impossible.
A bee's body just didn't seem like it should be able to fly.
Years later, scientist used high speed photography to study bee flight.
They found that bees use a combination of short, choppy wing strokes and a very fast rate.
Bee's wings beat at about 230 beats per second.
They twist and rotate as they move through the air.
When bees have a full load of pollen, they increase the arc of their wing stroke to get more power.
To do that, bees have developed different flight muscles than other insects.
The muscles in the thorax or main part of their body, squeeze in two directions, up and down and left to right.
This creates a pulsation that causes the wings to beat.
The wings are flexible, but the base of each wing doesn't move in relation to the body.
Bees are, in fact, their own kind of unique flying machine For more information about flight, check out the Science Trek website.
You'll find it at ScienceTrek.org
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Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.