High Speed Movies - Insect Flight

High speed movies reveal the technique of flying insects, usually too fast to be fully perceived and analysed with the naked eye.

Movie #1: A bumblebee lifting off a blackberry (bramble), 2008

Technical Data

Frame rate [fps]	1200
Resolution [px x px]	336 x 96
Viewing duration [mm:ss]	01:16
Realtime duration [s]	1.9
Filesize [kB]	3590

Download Quicktime Movie "CIMG1594_Hummel_HS1200.mov"
Please respect the copyright of the author!

Story/Action

A bumblebee is feeding on a blackberry blossom. As it moves to and fro, the plant shakes under the insect's weight. The bumblebee begins to vibrate it's wings, until it gets lift, then extends it's legs and drops of the blossom. It drops down, until the lift increases further, and after swinging into an upright orientation, rises and flies out of the picure. One complete flap of wings (in flight) fills 8-9 frames, equating to 7 millisecond per flap, or a frequency of 137 Hz (which is an audible frequency).

Movie #2: Fly lifting off from a leaf, 2008

Technical Data

Frame rate [fps]	1200
Resolution [px x px]	336 x 96
Viewing duration [mm:ss]	00:07
Realtime duration [s]	0.175
Filesize [kB]	332

Download Quicktime Movie "CIMG1595_Fliege_HS1200.mov"
Please respect the copyright of the author!

Story/Action

The fly is sitting motionless on the blackberry leaf. Suddenly, it starts to oscillate it's wings, and becomes airborne already after the first or second complete flap (Notice the difference of agility as compared to the bumblebee, above!). During this period, it re-arranges it's legs from standing to in-flight position pointing backward. One complete flap of wings takes 5-6 frames, equating to 4.5 milliseconds per flap, or a frequency of 218 Hz.

Movie #3: A bee lifting off a sunflower, 2008

Technical Data

Frame rate [fps]	1200
Resolution [px x px]	336 x 96
Viewing duration [mm:ss]	00:46
Realtime duration [s]	1.15
Filesize [kB]	2193

Download Quicktime Movie "cimg1804_Biene_HS1200.mov"
Please respect the copyright of the author!

Story/Action

A honeybee is collecting pollen in a sunflower facing downside, so the bee's back is facing the earth. The bee begins to flap it's wings, then one by one releases it's legs, with which it is gripping on the flower. It drops down , and spectacularly manoevers around several axes. It takes up speed and leaves the image to the right, being tilted sideways.
The flapping frequency is very similar to the one observed for the fly (5 frames per flap)

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