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How Fast Can a Bee Fly?

How fast can a bee fly?
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How Fast Can a Bee Fly?

How fast can a bee fly?

Get this:

Honeybees can reach speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Their wings are ridiculously fast, moving at about 230 beats per second. Compare that to hummingbirds, which can only flap their wings up to 80 beats per second.(1, 2)

This means honeybees beat their wings so fast that you can only see them in slow-motion videos.

But that’s only the beginning.

There are more than 20,000 species of bees worldwide. Bumblebees, honeybees, and carpenter bees are the most common bee examples. This means that each bee species can have different flight patterns and speed abilities.(3)

The only problem?

Not all bee species have been studied yet. For example, of the 20,000 bee species worldwide, approximately 4,000 of those live in the United States alone.(4, 5)

That’s a lot of bees.

So we simply don’t have data on how fast each bee species can fly. We can, however, focus on the most well-known bees, which are honeybees and bumblebees.

So let’s talk more about honeybees.

How Fast Can Honeybees Fly?

How fast can a bee fly?

Honeybees have some of the fastest recorded flight speeds of any bee species. Their top speeds reach around 20 mph when chasing off predators to defend their hive. This gives them a top wing beat of about 230 beats per second.

But here’s the thing:

Honeybees don’t always fly in turbo mode.

For example, one of a worker honeybee’s job duties is to gather food for their hive. Their primary diet consists of pollen and nectar from flowers. And surprisingly enough, a single honeybee can bring back a pollen load that weighs 35% of her body weight.(6)

But what does this mean?

It means that honeybees fly slower when they’re weighed down with supplies. For example, a honeybee slows down to around 12 mph when hauling food around.

How Fast Can Bumblebees Fly?

How fast can a bee fly?

Bumblebees fly between 6-11 mph. This equates to about 200 wing beats per second.

And you might be surprised to learn:

Bumblebees are almost two times bigger than honeybees. They measure nearly an inch long, making them one of the largest native bees in the United States.

Wait…if bumblebees are bigger than honeybees, shouldn’t they be able to fly faster?

Not necessarily.

Bigger doesn’t always mean faster. But what bumblebees lack in speed, they make up for in strength.

Bumblebees can carry up to 80% of their body weight while flying. That’s like a 180-pound person carrying around a 144-pound backpack.(7)

Bumblebees are the heavyweight champs of the bee world.

Naturally, bumblebees fly slower when weighed down with pollen and nectar. Like honeybees, bumblebees have designated pollen baskets on their hind legs. These baskets allow them to collect pollen to bring back to their hive.

Once these pollen baskets get emptied, bumblebees are lighter and can fly up to 11 miles per hour.

How Fast Can Africanized Honeybees Fly?

How fast can a bee fly?

Africanized honeybees (also called killer bees) are a bee species known for being aggressive. Like European honeybees, they can reach speeds of 15-20 mph.

But make no mistake:

Most bees are gentle and won’t go out of their way to hurt you. Africanized bees are a unique exception.

So what are they?

Africanized bees are manmade bees that emerged in the 1950s. They originated from a Brazilian scientist named Warwick E. Kerr, who crossbred European honeybees with African honeybees.

His goal was to create a new bee species that could survive in Brazilian jungles and produce more honey.

But that’s not what happened.

Some of the African honeybees escaped in 1957. Due to their more aggressive demeanor, they bred unchecked with the more gentle European honeybees. Natural selection kicked in and allowed the more aggressive offspring to succeed at survival.(8)

As a result?

These “Africanized” bees have spread throughout North and South America.

Now the question becomes…

Are Bees Faster Than Humans?

How fast can a bee fly?

In most cases, bees are faster than humans.

Remember:

Honeybees can reach speeds up to 20 mph. In contrast, the average human male runs at an average speed of about 6 mph, while the average woman runs at 5 mph.(9)

But what about athletes? Can they outrun bees?

It really depends on two things:

  1. The bee species
  2. The athleticism of the person

 

The average speed for healthy athletes is 15 mph. That said, Usain Bolt is the fastest man alive, reaching speeds of 27.33 mph. It’s safe to say he’s faster than honeybees.

And as mentioned, the bee species matters. For example, bumblebees can only reach speeds of 11 mph, so the average athlete can typically outrun them.

How Fast Can Bees Fly Compared to Other Creatures?

How fast can a bee fly?

Here’s a general breakdown of bees versus other insects and animals:

  • Honeybees – 20 mph
  • Bumblebees – 11 mph
  • House flies – 5 mph
  • Hummingbirds – 60 mph
  • Asian giant hornets – 25 mph
  • Butterflies – 12 mph

As you can see, bees aren’t the fastest nor the slowest creatures in the insect and animal world.

For example, hummingbirds are like the fighter pilots of the bird kingdom. They dive and weave at speeds of up to 60 mph. Thankfully, bees and hummingbirds coexist peacefully together. They don’t chase or attack each other.

But the same isn’t true for hornets.

For instance, the Asian giant hornet is the world’s largest hornet. It can reach speeds of up to 25 mph, making them a fierce predator of bees.

FAQs on “How Fast Can a Bee Fly?”

 

Can you outrun a bee?

This depends on the type of bee.

For example, bumblebees fly slower than honeybees. Honeybees reach top speeds of about 20 mph, while bumblebees reach speeds of about 11 mph.

The fastest running person is Usain Bolt, who reached a top speed of 27.33 mph. This means he could easily outrun a honeybee.

But for most of us?

It’d probably be a struggle. The average adult can only run between 5-6 mph.

The good news is that most bees are gentle and won’t chase you very far. Honeybees that chase people usually don’t follow them for more than 20 feet. This typically happens when you’re close to their hive, and they feel threatened.

The exception to this is Africanized honeybees which are known to be more aggressive. They tend to sting in larger numbers and have been known to follow people up to a quarter of a mile.

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How fast can a killer bee fly?

Killer bee is a colloquial term for Africanized honeybees. They travel at the same speeds as European honeybees – anywhere between 15-20 mph.

The main difference between Africanized honeybees and European honeybees is their temperament. Africanized honeybees are more aggressive and territorial. They produce honey, making them a target for predators such as bears and honey badgers.

Unfortunately, they’re also territorial when it comes to humans. For instance, if you have an Africanized honeybee hive in your yard, you should contact a local beekeeper. It can be unsafe for adults, children, and animals to be around them.

The slightest noise or provocation can put them into defense mode. This is commonly seen with people who mow their grass around Africanized beehives. The sounds and vibrations make the bees aggressive.

At present, the Africanized honeybees have only been found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California.(10)

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How do bees fly so fast?

Bees have four wings that can twist and rotate during flight.

A bee’s wings are made up of two parts, and they work together to form one large surface. This helps the bee move quickly and smoothly.

And despite popular belief:

Bees don’t flap their wings up and down like birds do. In fact, they beat them in a figure-8 pattern. Even if you slow down a bee flight in slow motion, these tiny moves are challenging to detect. However, these short and choppy movements allow the bee to fly incredibly fast.

A bee’s wing rotations create a tornado-like effect. Bees may lift their body forward, backward, up, or down by spinning the air around them. Bees can also hover in midair like hummingbirds do.

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How fast can a bee fly in meters per second? How fast can a regular bee fly?

A honeybee can fly nearly 9 meters per second, which is 20 mph.

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What is the fastest bee in the world?

The fastest recorded bee is the honeybee which can fly up to 20 mph.

That said, there are more than 20,000 bee species, and scientists haven’t studied them all. It’s possible that other species of bees can fly at the same speed or faster than honeybees. But honeybees simply have the most data because they’re the most common bee.

On the other hand, bumblebees reach speeds of 6-11 mph. What they lack in speed, they make up in strength. Bumblebees can carry 80% of their body weight in pollen and nectar. Naturally, this slows them down some, but it gives them the advantage of strength.

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How fast do bees flap their wings?

It depends on the species of bee. That said, most bees fall in the 180-230 beats per second range.

Honeybees are on the upper end of the spectrum, reaching 230 beats per second. Bumblebees are slightly lower, usually hovering around 200 beats per second.

Also, keep in mind:

Higher beats per second doesn’t necessarily equate to speed.

Take hummingbirds, for example. A species of hummingbird called Anna’s Hummingbird beats its wings about 50 times per second. That’s much less than bees.

But, Anna’s Hummingbirds can reach speeds of up to 60 mph which is three times faster than honeybees.

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How fast can carpenter bees fly?

Carpenter bees’ flight speeds haven’t been studied like honeybees and bumblebees have. So we can’t give a definitive or evidence-based answer.

But:

Carpenter bees are about the same size as bumblebees. They also have similar physical capabilities. So we can make a hypothesis and say that bumblebees and carpenter bees have similar flight speeds of 6-11mph.

But here’s the thing:

Although carpenter bees and bumblebees may fly at similar speeds, they don’t fly in the same pattern. For instance, bumblebees tend to fly in straighter, smooth lines.

In contrast, carpenter bees tend to dart and dive around. They’ll zip around quickly, hover for a second, then zip off again. This is one way you can tell carpenter bees and bumblebees apart.

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How fast can a mason bee fly?

Unlike honeybees, mason bees’ flight speeds haven’t been widely studied.

That said, mason bees are slightly smaller than honeybees, so their speeds might be comparable or slightly lower. Since honeybees can reach speeds of 20 mph, we can infer that mason bees can reach speeds of 15-17 mph.

But again, more research is needed to give a definitive answer on how fast mason bees can fly.

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Do bees fly faster than wasps?

There are thousands of different bee species and wasps species, so this is tricky to answer.

But in many cases, wasps and hornets are faster and more agile than bees. This is partly because both hornets and wasps prey on bees, so they need to be quicker and more aggressive to catch them.

For instance, the Asian giant hornet can reach speeds of up to 25 mph. Compare that to 20 mph from the Eastern honeybee.

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How fast can a queen bee fly?

Queen honeybees can fly between 15-20 mph. But unless they’re mating or swarming, queens will stay inside the hive so they can lay eggs.

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How fast can a sweat bee fly?

We don’t have detailed research or numbers on how fast sweat bees can fly. But estimates are between 5-10 mph.

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How fast can a honeybee fly in mph?

Honeybees can fly at speeds of up to 20 mph. This occurs when they’re chasing predators in defense of their hive. Their average speed is typically around 12-15 mph when they’re out foraging for pollen and nectar.

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We take an evidence and science based approach to our content. This means we source from peer-reviewed studies, randomized controlled trials, and medical reports. Our team carefully researches the information you find in this article.

More specifically, we look for sources that:

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You’ll find these evidence-based sources highlighted by parentheses.(1, 2, 3)

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