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So if I understand you correctly, if I remove my lungs, I’m a bee? My aunt had lung cancer, so they’ll probably kill me, anyway. I’ll report back on the results.
No because you’re likely too big (no offense) :(
I think insects have little holes all over their bodies, in which air gets inside by itself through some physics shenanigans. It doesn’t need to be actively sucked in like with lungs, it just happens because they’re so small.
This method doesn’t scale up though since if you’re bigger, you need more air, and having little holes all over your body won’t cut it. Thats when you know you need lungs, and that’s why you don’t see insects the size of a dog these days (thankfully).
There used to be times in the Earth’s history (Carboniferous) where the air’s composition was different though, and since it had more oxygen in it, insects could grow a lot larger.
Fun fact: Cutaneous respiration (aka "Skin breathing") is something we humans do too. But it accounts only for 1% to 2% of our oxygen input.
However, the cornea of our eyes doesn't have its own blood vessels to supply it. Therefore, it relies on direct gas exchange with the environment—in other words, skin respiration.
Our eyes breath like bees.
Is that why bees can't wear contact lenses?
No, it's because they have compound eyes. Even if they could afford all the different lenses they need, they'd never have enough time to put them in and take them out, while still working a full day.
surely they could just make one big lens with facets in it? sure they're gonna be hellishly expensive but at least they're usable
Honestly, I was already out of my depth with the entomology and ophthalmology discussed here. The economics of bee optometry might be a bridge too far for me. Can a bee make enough honey to afford such lenses? If so, does it improve the bee's ability to make honey enough to justify the cost? I have no idea and no clue regarding how to investigate this issue.
perhaps we're coming at this from the wrong direction, does a bee even need lenses? maybe what they actually need is just eye protection, which would make everything much cheaper
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So what you're saying is I have two eyes in my beeholes?
I like this fact. That's why it's so important to take out certain kinds of contacts at night.
Adding to this, the holes (spiracles) connect to the tracheae, which connect to air sacs. While respiration is almost entirely passive in smaller species, larger species actually force air through the system to aid the otherwise passive process.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_system_of_insects
Side note: Spiders have book lungs. They're not insects, but like insects, they are arthropods.
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Yeah, and if you pluck a chicken, it will be a human, because it's featherless and stands on two legs.
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That is almost how it works, but to really become a bee you'll have to turn the lungs into wings. Good luck. I'm looking forward to seeing the result.
If you like reading, maybe a half-way solution could be achieved with book lungs like a spider.
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And, for the most part, humans' lungs don't have bees!
I somehow forgot about bees not having lungs. I knew some other small things didn't.
What's that? Human lungs don't have bees?!
A large influx of bees ought to put a stop to that!
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Beekeepers intentionally use smoke to make bees docile during collection time, transfers, etc
Insects don't have lungs. It also means their potential size is directly limited by the oxygen content in the air.
Which is why we don't see cat sized insects roaming around.
Which is why you don't see cat sized insects roaming around, I live next to a tarantula trail and some of them fuckers get BIG.
Spiders aren't insects. Though like them, they don't have lungs! Not ones like ours, anyway.
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Hold on, wait a minute, pause. There are people who think that bugs have lungs?
To be fair, while bugs and other insects don't have lungs, some arthropods do. The differences among arthropods, insects and bugs aren't exactly common knowledge.
some have book-lungs not true lungs. Only us fish have "true" lungs
edit: this thread turned into nerd-heaven. i love it!
Agreed. I was referring to book lungs.
Also, I feel like you got some 'splainin' to do regarding the fish reference.
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Hunh. TIL.
Not just bees, it's true of all insects.
Consequently, the amount of oxygen in the air determines how big bugs can grow. Get too big, and the oxygen can't diffuse into the body fast enough. This even shows up in the fossil records, with larger bugs being found alongside evidence of eras that had more oxygen in the atmosphere.
They aren't insects, but most arachnids have book lungs, which are basically a pocket full of air gills.
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they don't have circulatory systems either they've basically just pushing things through themselves and tryna make it work
Pedant here. They absolutely do have circulatory systems. They have what's known as an open circulatory system, whereas we have a closed circulatory system.
"I've been trying to quit smoking. I want to take better care of my spiracles"
Wait until this person hears about fish.
don't beekeepers use smoke or some such?
Yup. It simulates a forest fire and encourages them to gorge themselves on honey and leave the hive. They get less protective of the hive (because they think it is doomed) which makes it easier to work. They will check back in under an hour to see if the hive made it, and if so, will regurgitate the honey back and continue on with their day.
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am i the only one who notices that this logic makes no sense? it doesnt matter that they have no lungs, they still are susceptible to both heat and airborn toxins, they perform gas exchange. They lived because the heat and smoke were below lethal toxic levels for them.
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this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2025
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