Page 60 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

EFFICIENT INSECT FLIGHT

A n article in the pro-evolution are more efficient on hot summer days.

magazine New Scientist on 12
Harrison then researched the reason why
A October 1996 stated that insect bee flight was less efficient in winter. He
flight was significantly inefficient and un- concluded that the heat given off in inef-
productive, and that only 6% of the meta- fective, inefficient flights helped to keep
bolic power expended was converted into them warm on cold days. This occupies an
mechanical power. The rest, it was important role in regulating the hive tem-
claimed, was dissipated in the form of perature. The conclusion from these de-
heat. tailed studies was that bees’ wing muscles
Jon Harrison of Arizona State University serve two important purposes: to allow
and his team then set about studying this, the bee to fly, but also to establish the re-
with astonishing results. There were actu- quired temperature in the hive. Thanks to
ally very important reasons for the low ef- their wing design, bees were able to vary
ficiency in flight. These results were their heat production and flight efficiency
published in a report titled “Achievement according to the surrounding conditions
of Thermal Stability by Varying Metabolic and in light of their requirements.
Heat Production in Flying Honeybees” in
As this example shows, scientists studying
Science magazine (4 October 1996, Vol.
a creature cannot arrive at accurate find-
274, pp. 88-90). In these experiments,
ings if they look for chance developments
bees’ body temperatures, flight metabolic
or faulty features. We see very clearly that
rates and wing-beat frequencies were
there are actually flawless features in na-
measured by changing the air tempera-
ture: All life forms possess the exact char-
ture around the hive. When the air tem-
acteristics they need, and always have.
perature rose from 20 to 40 degrees
There can be no doubt that this is God’s
centigrade (from 68 to 104 degrees
flawless creation, with His infinite might
Fahrenheit), the wing-beat frequency de-
and wisdom.
creased by 16% and the metabolic rate by
50%, while their thoracic temperatures re- When people engage in research with
mained stable. Bees’ wing-beat frequen- that perspective in mind—in other words,
cies registered a fall, but caused no when they seek to study that perfection—
problem in flight. From all this, it was real- they can witness the superior art of cre-
ized that as the temperature rose, bee ation in nature from much closer up and
flight became more effective and produc- achieve results much faster.
tive. Bees’ muscles, it was thus discovered,