Remember the old saying (which is scientifically accurate, if I remember correctly) stating that “if a bumblebee knew how heavy he was, he wouldn’t be flying.” Of course, the robust little pollen-gatherers are known for defying the laws of aerodynamics already, but now the little insects will invoke thrill and marvel in us all once again, in a new study which shows them to “bee” among the finest flyers the insect world has ever seen.

“Bumblebees have been discovered on Mount Everest at more than 5,600 meters (18,000ft) above sea level,” the report says. “In scientific tests, several of the bees flew successfully in a flight chamber which recreated the thin air of 9,000m (29,528ft) above sea level, higher than the 8,848m summit of the world’s highest mountain. This is thought to be a record for any insect species.”

One particularly astounding test done with these high-altitude bumblebees, found living at elevations exceeding 4,000 meters over the Himalayas, as well as the Hengduan Mountains of Sichuan Province, China, involved an air-controlled chamber. Bees collected from nests at elevations around 4,000 feet were introduced into the chamber, from which air was sucked out to simulate air pressure at higher altitudes. Taken all the way to 9,000 meters, higher in altitude than Everest’s peak, the bees miraculously still flew.

Keep in mind that anything above the 8,000 meter mark is considered, for humans, “the death zone”. Similarly, this lack of air at such altitudes provides less substance for these bees, or any insect, to beat against in order to remain aloft. All other insects aside, the bumblebees in the aforementioned region not only remain aloft, but do so with wings proportionately smaller than those of other insects.

Scientists conducting the study presume that, in order to fly at these altitudes, the bees must also expend incredible amounts of energy (as the thin air has them working double-time already). Could this account for how they manage to maintain such a high body temperature in these otherwise frigid conditions; another interesting trait observed among these bees? Might the key to the energy crisis in America lie beneath their beating little wings?

Not likely, according to biologist Dr. Michael Dillon, a University of California at Berkeley, who noted “We have shown they are able to fly at this incredible range of elevations and now what we want to know is how much it costs them,” supposing that doing so may take “a toll on their health.” The rest of this report can be read online here.