 Additionally , John Maynard Smith , a noted biologist with a strong background in aeronautics , has pointed out that bumblebees would not be expected to sustain flight , as they would need to generate too much power given their tiny wing area . However , in aerodynamics experiments with other insects , he found that viscosity at the scale of small insects meant even their small wings can move a very large volume of air relative to their size , and this reduces the power required to sustain flight by an order of magnitude . 
