Many people will definitely name the fastest animal in the world. And can someone tell you about the speed of movement of insects? These tiny creatures are giving us trouble. It is difficult to catch them, as insects move quickly.
A high flight speed is simply vital for these small representatives of the fauna. Some people need speed to hunt, and some so escape from predators. We present a rating that lists the fastest insects in the world.
5. Bee
One of the fastest insects in the world is the well-known bee. From time immemorial, people have bred these beneficial insects. The honey produced by wild bees was the first delicacy of ancient people. Beekeeping is still an important branch of agriculture. Delivering the collected nectar to the nest, the bee develops a speed of up to 30 km/h. With a bag not filled with nectar, the flight speed reaches 50-60 km/h. This is comparable to the speed of many vehicles.
Biologists have calculated that a bee travels 400,000 kilometers to produce a kilogram of honey. This is much longer than the equator. Bees produce several foods that humans need. In addition to honey and wax, they supply us with bee bread, propolis, royal jelly, etc. Even dead individuals are used as medicinal products.
4. Blind
These fast insects of the Diptera family are well known to the villagers. The flight speed of an ordinary horsefly is 65 km/h. Horseflies parasitize livestock, causing trouble for farmers. Scientists estimate that reindeer spend up to 40% of the time looking for food. The remaining 60% are used to find shelter from horseflies. Horseflies are common on all continents. The exception is Antarctica.
3. Click beetle
The click beetle ranks third in the ranking of the fastest insects in the world. Representatives of the subfamily of ground beetles are capable of not only flying. They move quickly on the ground. Biologists call them the fastest land insect. Chasing prey, the click beetle can move at a speed of 2 m/s. The villagers call the click beetles beneficial insects. One adult kills over 400 pests.
The beetle flies over short distances. Seeing the danger, he instantly rises into the air and flies to safety. Horses get their main food on the ground, trapping small insects and looking for larvae. The bright color of the horses’ shells made the horses desirable specimens in the collections of insect lovers.
2. Cockroach
The cockroach quite unexpectedly takes second place in the top of the fastest insects. Representatives of this superorder are among the most ancient animals. Scientists believe that cockroaches have existed for millions of years. They successfully adapted to external conditions and survived to this day.
Scientists suggest that the name comes from the Chuvash word “escaper”. This word captures the very essence. Fleeing from danger, the cockroach develops a speed of 5.4 km/h, which is equal to 50 lengths of its own body. With the size of cockroaches, this is a record figure.
1. Dragonfly
Dragonflies are the fastest insects in the world. These predatory insects are capable of speeds up to 100 km/h. Today 6,000 species of dragonflies have been described. New species are added to the list every year.
Biologists have recently discovered an interesting fact. It turns out that the dragonfly does not catch up with its prey. They intercept prey at the point where the prey will be after a while. Calculating the intercept point requires coordinating the distance, direction, and speed of the victim. Today, only powerful computers are able to determine the point of interception instantly.
