Question

Consider how a bee warms up her flight muscles in order to fly. Insects need the heat of their environment to function, how might this affect their anatomy?

Answer 1

Bees can fly in air at 10 degree celcius or lower lower,but cannot take off unless their flight muscles reaches above 35 degree celcius.They uncouple their wing muscles so that the wings themselves do not move and use the muscles to shiver and raise their thorax temperature.When their thorax get enough warmth,then they leap into the air to become air borne.

Fligt muscles consist of two sets of large antagonistic power muscles(dorsal ventral muscles and longitudinal muscles) oriented more or less perpendicular to each other. Just before takeoff,intermitent nervous system stimulates intracellular Ca²⁺level in the two sets of flight muscles.Oxidation of carbohydrate and fat takes place before flight,releases heat and thus contribute in the warmth of the flight muscles.