THE notion that engineers once “proved” that bees can’t fly has become an urban myth. So partly to restore the reputation of the profession, Michael Dickinson decided to investigate the forces at work during honeybee flight.
In 1996, Charlie Ellington at the University of Cambridge showed how vortices rolling along the leading edge of the wing were the vital source of lift for most insects. But this can’t explain how a heavy insect with a short wing beat, such as a bee, generates enough lift to fly.
Dickinson and his colleagues at Caltech in Pasadena, California, filmed hovering bees at…
