![]() The drag of the flying beetle over the flapping cycle, estimated from the flow fields in the unsteady wake, showed good agreement with direct measurement of mean horizontal force. To account for tethering effects, we measured the forces applied by the beetles on the tether arm holding them in place. We flew the beetles tethered in a wind tunnel and used high-speed videography to estimate the aerodynamic power from their flapping kinematics and particle image velocimetry (PIV) to evaluate drag and kinetic energy from their unsteady wakes. This relatively large beetle can disperse substantial distances in search of new host trees, and laboratory experiments have demonstrated continuous tethered flights that can last for up to an hour. Here, we analyzed these losses during the forward flight of the mango stem borer ( Batocera rufomaculata). However, some energy loss during the transfer of momentum from the wing to the fluid is inevitable, and inherent to the fluid–wing interaction. The need for long dispersal flights can drive selection for behavioral, physiological, and biomechanical mechanisms to reduce the energy spent flying. ![]()
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December 2022
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