Difference between revisions of "Bumblebee"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(a couple more words) |
(behavior) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | The bumblebee is a four-winged insect. Its wings swivel and flap, knocking into each other which produces a buzzing sound. | + | The bumblebee is a four-winged [[insect]], a species of [[bee]]. Its wings swivel and flap, knocking into each other which produces a buzzing sound. |
Despite the small area of its wings, the swirling [[vortice]]s produced when the wings collide provide additional lift. <ref> [http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Mar/gee20040405024594.htm Geek News FAQ] </ref> | Despite the small area of its wings, the swirling [[vortice]]s produced when the wings collide provide additional lift. <ref> [http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Mar/gee20040405024594.htm Geek News FAQ] </ref> | ||
According to a persistent urban legend, the laws of physics supposedly say that "bumblebees can't fly". This stems a rough calculation based on the assumption that their wings are smooth and fixed like that of an airplane. <ref> [http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040911/mathtrek.asp Flight of the Bumblebee] - Ivars Peterson </ref> | According to a persistent urban legend, the laws of physics supposedly say that "bumblebees can't fly". This stems a rough calculation based on the assumption that their wings are smooth and fixed like that of an airplane. <ref> [http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040911/mathtrek.asp Flight of the Bumblebee] - Ivars Peterson </ref> | ||
Strobe photography of bumblebees in flight shows how the wings move. | Strobe photography of bumblebees in flight shows how the wings move. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Bumble bees, like their honeybee cousins, feed on [[pollen]] and [[nectar]]. A bumble bee will often identify where a food source is by flying in a figure-8 pattern around it. | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
Revision as of 01:39, May 3, 2009
The bumblebee is a four-winged insect, a species of bee. Its wings swivel and flap, knocking into each other which produces a buzzing sound. Despite the small area of its wings, the swirling vortices produced when the wings collide provide additional lift. [1]
According to a persistent urban legend, the laws of physics supposedly say that "bumblebees can't fly". This stems a rough calculation based on the assumption that their wings are smooth and fixed like that of an airplane. [2] Strobe photography of bumblebees in flight shows how the wings move.
Bumble bees, like their honeybee cousins, feed on pollen and nectar. A bumble bee will often identify where a food source is by flying in a figure-8 pattern around it.
Notes
- ↑ Geek News FAQ
- ↑ Flight of the Bumblebee - Ivars Peterson