Name: Honeybees use their wings for water surface locomotion
Brand: pnas.org
SKU: pnas-org-17
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Honeybees use their wings for water surface locomotion

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Edited by Howard A. Stone, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and approved October 11, 2019 (received for review June 4, 2019)This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.We report the honeybee’s propulsion at the air–water interface. Honeybees trapped on a water surface use their wings as hydrofoils, which means their wings generate hydrodynamic thrust. The surface wave and flow patterns generated around the bee are the first indication that the wings are used as hydrofoils. Furthermore, the water flow measured under a mechanical wing model showed that both net and oscillatory thrust contribute to their locomotion. Hydrofoiling highlights the versatility of their flapping-wing systems that are capable of generating propulsion with fluids whose densities span 3 orders of magnitude. This discovery inspires an aerial–aquatic hybrid vehicle. Moreover, the findings may have biological implications on the survival of water foragers and preflight locomotion mechanisms.Honeybees display a unique biolocomotion strategy at the air–water interface. When water’s adhesive force traps them on the surface, their wetted wings lose ability to generate aerodynamic thrust. However, they adequately locomote, reaching a speed up to 3 body lengths·s−1. Honeybees use their wetted wings as hydrofoils for their water surface propulsion. Their locomotion imparts hydrodynamic momentum to the surrounding water in the form of asymmetric waves and a deeper water jet stream, generating ∼20-μN average thrust. The wing kinematics show that the wing’s stroke plane is skewed, and the wing supinates and pronates during its power and recovery strokes, respectively. The flow under a mechanical model wing mimicking the motion of a bee’s wing further shows that nonzero net horizontal momentum is imparted to the water, demonstrating net thrust. Moreover, a periodic acceleration and deceleration of water are observed, which provides additional forward movement by “recoil locomotion.” Their water surface locomotion by hydrofoiling is kinematically and dynamically distinct from surface skimming [J. H. Marden, M. G. Kramer, Science 266, 427–430 (1994)], water walking [J. W. M. Bush, D. L. Hu, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 38, 339–369 (2006)], and drag-based propulsion [J. Voise, J. Casas, J. R. Soc. Interface 7, 343–352 (2010)]. It is postulated that the ability to self-propel on a water surface may increase the water-foraging honeybee’s survival chances when they fall on the water.Published under the .You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to if you don't already have one.Subscribers, for more details, please visit our .Please click to log into the PNAS submission website.Honeybees use their wings for water surface locomotionHoneybees use their wings for water surface locomotionOnce confined mostly to mercury, knowledge of liquid metals and their unique properties is now offering up myriad applications.Image credit: Minyung Song (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC).Henri Weimerskirch describes how albatrosses can help detect illegal fishing boats.A study explores the competing effects of atmospheric carbon and temperature on forests.Image credit: Martin D. Venturas.Honeybees use their wings as hydrofoils to maneuver on the water surface, potentially inspiring the design of aerial–aquatic hybrid vehicles.Image credit: Chris Roh.Researchers report the presence of ribose and other sugars in meteorites, and the arrival of such sugars on Earth may have given rise to early biopolymers.Image credit: Yoshihiro Furukawa.

Edited by Howard A. Stone, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and approved October 11, 2019 (received for review June 4, 2019)This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.We report the honeybee’s propulsion at the air–water interface. Honeybees trapped on a water surface use their wings as hydrofoils, which means their wings generate hydrodynamic thrust. The surface wave and flow patterns generated around the bee are the first indication that the...

Honeybees use their wings for water surface locomotion

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