Insect flight
- Bumblebees land remarkably well in red–blue greenhouse LED light conditions
Summary: Red–blue LED lights are being used in greenhouses to improve plant growth. The changed light spectrum may affect pollinators. We studied how these lights affect landing performance of foraging bumblebees.
- A computational study on the influence of insect wing geometry on bee flight mechanics
Summary: A morphologically accurate insect wing cross-section is compared with common cross-sections reported in the literature. It was found that misrepresenting the insect wing cross-section can result in different aerodynamics. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper as part of the supplementary information.
- Simultaneous optimisation of earwig hindwings for flight and folding
Summary: Adjustments of the wing structure in earwig hindwings enable passive wing control during flapping flight. With an expansion of the claval flexion line, the highly foldable wing can withstand deformations during flapping flight and stay unfolded.