Mummy, Why... Do Flies Buzz?

Children love to ask questions. It's how they learn. If I had a pound for every time one of ours started a sentence with “Mummy, why?” I'd be a very rich woman. Sometimes I know the answer. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'm going to post what we find out, because, ultimately, I'm a research addict and like to share.

Neither of our children are a fan of flies. "Mummy! There's a fly!" is a frequent cry in this household. The other day, after a very long rant about why she didn't like them and how spiders were much better, a very disgruntled Elizabeth demanded to know:

"Why do flies buzz?" 

So, off we went to find the answer.

The buzzing noise you hear from a fly is actually due to the speed of their wings flapping. (Just in case you were wondering, a fly is defined as an insect with two wings. So a butterfly isn't a real fly, as it has four.)

The average house fly beats its wings at 200 beats per second, which makes 12,000 beats every minute.

House fly.

A hover fly manages slightly less, at 120 beats per second.

Hover fly.

(Not a wasp as the kids keep insisting!) 

A mosquito is, on average, 600 beats per second.

That is nothing however, compared to some midges that clock in at 1,000 beats per second! No wonder they are loud!

Midge!

In comparison, a bee's wings flap between 208 and 227 times per second, with a butterfly managing only 5-20 times. A dragonfly manages a mere 20-30 times per second.

Food for thought indeed, next time you hear a buzzing sound...!