Meeting Abstract

126.5  Tuesday, Jan. 7 14:45  Don’t stop bee-weavin’: effects of wing wear on flight maneuverability in bumblebees MOUNTCASTLE, AM*; ALEXANDER, TM; COMBES, SA; Harvard University; Morgan State University; Harvard University mountcastle@fas.harvard.edu

The wings of many insects experience cumulative and irreversible damage over the course of their lifespan, and this wear and tear can impose significant costs on flight performance and survivability. Wing wear has been found to reduce vertical acceleration and predation success in dragonflies, alter foraging behavior in bees, and increase mortality in bumblebees and honeybees. Although the causal link between wing wear and increased mortality rates in bees is unknown, wing area loss is thought to increase predation risk by reducing maneuverability. Here we test the extent to which wing wear affects flight maneuverability in the bumblebee, Bombus impatiens. We used high-speed videography to record bumblebees flying through an obstacle course of evenly spaced vertical posts oscillating side to side at 1.7 Hz. We simulated wing wear by experimentally clipping the distal trailing edge of the forewing, and recorded maneuverability trials both before and after wing clipping. We digitized flight paths with 3D tracking software, and quantified flight parameters associated with maneuverability, including maximum velocity, acceleration, and turning rate. We compare flight maneuverability before and after wing clipping.