How high can insects fly?
If you took a fly into a really tall elevator and let it out at the top, would it still be able to fly? And what\u2019s the absolute highest an insect could possibly go? It\u2019s a question that\u2019s been bugging CrowdScience listener Chee for a while, but presenter Alex Lathbridge is on the case.\nHe discovers that when they\u2019re not buzzing around your lunch, insects can be routinely found flying high up in the atmosphere travelling from A to B. There are also ground-dwelling bumblebees living in the mountains of Sichuan, China that have demonstrated an ability to fly at altitudes higher than the highest point on the planet.\nBut leaving aside how high insects DO fly, how high COULD they fly if given the chance? Alex explores the theoretical limits of insect flight with the help of a bit of biomechanics \u2013 before contemplating the ultimate heights of the International Space Station where the mystery of whether a fruit fly will fly in zero gravity is finally answered.\nContributors:\nJason Chapman, University of Exeter\nIn\xe9s Dawson, science youtuber and expert in insect flight biomechanics\nMichael Dillon, University of Wyoming\nWes Shaw, Head Gardener, Sky Garden\nSharmila Bhattacharya, NASA
Presented by Alex Lathbridge\nProduced by Ben Motley for the BBC World Service
[Photop credit: Getty Images]