<![CDATA[How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat?]]>How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? 🤨

They blow bubbles of watery saliva; some of it evaporates & loses heat; they then re-ingest the cooler liquid.

Simple 🤷‍♂️

Two flies seen at it this evening: a lesser dung fly (Sepsis fulgens; 🇩🇪 Glänzende Schwingfliege) & a fruit fly (Scaptomyza pallida; 🇩🇪 Taufliege).

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]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/topic/94168dee-1328-4087-b96f-9f7bb65bcdc7/how-do-flies-stay-cool-on-hot-days-if-they-can-t-sweatRSS for NodeThu, 28 May 2026 20:33:26 GMTSun, 10 May 2026 18:05:55 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:42:44 GMT]]>@u0421793 @futurebird Indeed, although bees use active air conditioning (their wings) to get evaporation going, while the flies are passive 🙂

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/markmccaughrean/statuses/116551749776930526https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/markmccaughrean/statuses/116551749776930526Sun, 10 May 2026 18:42:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:33:42 GMT]]>@katzenberger I'm sure someone has done it – perhaps a thermal-IR camera with a good lens could give a result.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/markmccaughrean/statuses/116551714253025388https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/markmccaughrean/statuses/116551714253025388Sun, 10 May 2026 18:33:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:31:05 GMT]]>@markmccaughrean

Very cool (pun intended).

Would it be possible to measure the decrease in temperature?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://tldr.nettime.org/users/katzenberger/statuses/116551703964145349https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://tldr.nettime.org/users/katzenberger/statuses/116551703964145349Sun, 10 May 2026 18:31:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:29:49 GMT]]>@futurebird@sauropods.win @markmccaughrean@mastodon.social this is the mechanism of how bees manufacture honey

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://toot.pikopublish.ing/notes/am3o95tb0v0m020whttps://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://toot.pikopublish.ing/notes/am3o95tb0v0m020wSun, 10 May 2026 18:29:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:28:01 GMT]]>@markmccaughrean I got fascinated withspiracles recently, and it strikes me that this behavior re temperature and water takes advantage of some of the same geometry & math that make spiracles work for air/oxygen.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/slowenough/statuses/116551691902310094https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/slowenough/statuses/116551691902310094Sun, 10 May 2026 18:28:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:26:54 GMT]]>@markmccaughrean

dipterans are so damn odd

They inflate their heads and eyes.

Just strange as can be.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://sauropods.win/users/futurebird/statuses/116551687503943070https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://sauropods.win/users/futurebird/statuses/116551687503943070Sun, 10 May 2026 18:26:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How do flies stay cool on hot days if they can't sweat? on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:11:17 GMT]]>That said, it wasn't particularly warm today, & less so this evening as the cloud rolled in. It was humid still though.

The Sepsis fulgens fly was going through a whole preening process at the same time as the droplet of water was hanging from its mouth, turning in circles, & cleaning its wings with its legs.

Then it sucked in the water droplet & flew off 🤷‍♂️

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/markmccaughrean/statuses/116551626119836917https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/markmccaughrean/statuses/116551626119836917Sun, 10 May 2026 18:11:17 GMT