Glenn Elert
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The Physics Factbook™
Edited by Glenn Elert -- Written by his students
An educational, Fair Use website
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| Bibliographic Entry | Result (w/surrounding text) | Standardized Result |
|---|---|---|
| Entomology for Kids. University of Kentucky. 31 May 2000. | "Male mosquitoes beat their wings 450 to 600 times per second." | 450–600 Hz |
| "Mosquito." World Book. Chicago: World Book, 1989: 835. | "A mosquito's wing move about 1000 times a second." | 1000 Hz |
| Duncan, Juli. Insects and Spiders. Virginia: Time-Life, 1990: 15. | "A mosquito flaps its long front wings up to 600 times per second, creating a hum." | 600 Hz |
| White, William. A Mosquito is Born. New York: Sterling, 1978: 21. | "The wings beat between 250 and 600 times per second depending upon the species, the wing tips moving a figure-8 pattern." | 250–600 Hz |
| Culex Pipiens Pallens. Singapore Science Centre. 15 April 1996. | "The familiar buzz that we hear is produced by the wings vibrating rapidly at 500-600 beats per sec." | 500–600 Hz |
After researching on the frequency of a mosquito wing, I concludethat the frequency of a mosquito wing is about 600 times per second.Frequency is the number of cycles of a repeating process per unittime.
Mosquitoes belong to the order, Diptera, the true flies.Mosquitoes have two wings, but unlike other flies, their wingshave scales and their mouth parts (in female mosquitoes) forma long piercing-sucking proboscis. Mosquitoes have antennae thatare used to smell, touch, and take moisture from the air. Mosquitoescan live up to 30 days or more. Mosquitoes are such small creatures(5.5 mm long), yet they are able to fly at 1 to 1.5 milesper hour. Mosquitoes have been known to travel 75 to 100 miles.
There are variations in the values of the frequency at whichmosquitoes beat their wings. Sources show this value ranging from250 to 1000 Hz. This variation could be due to the differencesbetween species or genders. There are over 2500 different speciesof mosquitoes throughout the world, of which 150 can be foundin the United States (73 in Florida alone).
A female's wing makes a higher tone than a male's wings. Bothmale and female mosquitoes have mouth parts, but only a female'sis adapted to pierce skin and suck blood. Female mosquitoes onlysuck blood to develop eggs. In addition, the male's antennae arevery hairy while female's antennas have a few small hairs. Femalesalso live longer than male mosquitoes.
Diana Leung -- 2000
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