That's a buzz! Imaginative engineering professor brings a bee on a LEASH to his class to help students understand flight mechanics

  • Professor Ethan Kung presented the lassoed insect to his amazed class 
  • He was lecturing in fluid mechanics at Clemson University, South Carolina
  • His students laughed as the bee buzzed around unable to fly away 

By Francis Scott For Mailonline Video

Published: 07:04 EST, 4 October 2016 | Updated: 07:56 EST, 4 October 2016

You've heard of a dog on a leash, maybe a cat on a leash, and perhaps even a pig on a leash... but surely not a bee on a leash?

This is the bizarre moment a university lecturer created a buzz by showing his students his 'pet' bee attached to a string.

Professor Ethan Kung presented the lassoed insect to his amazed class during a lecture in fluid mechanics at Clemson University, South Carolina.

You've heard of a dog on a leash, maybe a cat on a leash, and perhaps even a pig on a leash, but surely not a bee on a leash?
Un-BEE-lievable: Professor Ethan Kung presents his lassoed insect to his amazed class

Un-BEE-lievable: Professor Ethan Kung presents his lassoed insect to his amazed class

As they watched on, the teacher explained how the tiny creatures flap their wings to change directions.

His students, including Brad Westbury from Hanahan, South Carolina, laughed as the bee began to twist and turn, unable to escape from the leash attached around its waist.

'The whole class just stared at the professor like he was a lunatic,' said Brad.

'We were sitting in class and he told us he had brought in a 'pet' to help us understand a new concept we were studying.

'He walked into the middle of the room and started talking about this bee he had lassoed at the end of piece of string without skipping a beat, like it was completely normal.

'Then he walked it around the room letting it land on desks and people while explaining how he caught it and how he was going to feed it to his pet spider at home.'

The class start to laugh as the bee makes a desperate attempt to fly away, and fails
As they watched on amazed, the teacher explained how the tiny creatures flap their wings to change directions

The class start to laugh as the bee makes a desperate attempt to fly away, and fails

Dr Kung said: 'In a previous lesson I had talked about the momentum balance equation.

'I spotted the bee and thought it would be good for the students to see something similar in real life.'

The teacher, who joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2014, added: 

'The bee's flying mechanics are an interesting phenomenon in relation to how much air it has to eject from its wings to support its body weight.

'I put the bee in the freezer for three minutes so it stopped moving and then tied the leash around it.' 

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