How do insects fly

HOW DO INSECTS FLY

Many insects are too heavy to glide, they fly by flapping their wings vigorously. Most species have two pairs of wings, but in many species these are joined and work together, as in the butterfly,Flies and mosquitoes flap only the front pair of wings, using the rear pair reduced to small knobbed structures as stabilizers. Dragonflies, by contrast have two pairs of long, narrow wings that flap alternately giving them exceptional agility.

CICADA. The cicada has two pairs of wings but a heavy body, it can fly fast but not for a very long time.

DRAGONFLY. The pairs of wings beat alternately as the front wings go up, the rear ones go down.

Insect aviators

The table shown below compares the speeds of insects in flight, arranged from top to bottom in order for speed. Fast fliers have less wing area and greater body weight, which helps them overcome air resistance. The fastest flier is the hawk moth, which is built for speed with a narrow body and powerful forewings. The dragonfly's four wings operate independently and can be slanted for greater lift and power. During fast flight, the dragonfly folds its leg under its body to reduce drag. Very small insects, hampered by air resistance because of their small weight and size, find it easier to float on the air currents rather than fly.

1. ------------------------------------------hawk moth

2. -------------------------------------dragonfly

3. ---------------------------------housefly

4. ----------------------------horsefly

5. ------------------------hornet

6. -----------------honeybee

7. ----------desert locust

8.---------bumblebee

9. -----mosquito

10.--midge fly

BUTTERFLY. The butterfly's 🦋 wings are short but wide, and large for its body size. Butterflies can flap their wings slowly or glide, enabling some species to migrate far.

BEETLE. The long-horned beetle's flapping rear wings provide power in flight, while its fixed forewings add lift.

HONEYBEE. The bee's 🐝 wings are small for its body but beat 200 times per second, letting the bee fly far or hover in one spot.

MOSQUITO. A mosquito flaps its long front wings up to 600 times per second, creating a hum. The modified rear wings add stability.

Insects wings and their muscles

Insect wings are not appendages, like legs they are thin outgrowths of the exoskeleton, evolved for flight. In different species, the wings are powered through direct or indirect muscle structure. In dragonfly, the muscles are attached different to the wing bases, which turn on a fulcrum between the muscles. Contractions of outer muscles lower the wings contractions of inner muscles raise them. In the bee, the fulcrums are where the wings enter the body, and the wing bases are moved when muscles change the shape of the body. Wings go up when two vertical muscles in the trunk contract. Wings go down with contraction of a lengthwise muscle. With either type of wing structure, the muscles are elastic and flap the wings at a fixed rate.

How do insects fly