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This requires constructing a testing machine with equipment allowing bending specimens which are several hundred micrometers long and force sensors of a very small range. In case of large wings, it is possible to examine a specific section of a wing, while small wings need to be examined as a whole, without zonal division. What is more, each vein slightly differs in terms of construction. The veins are placed in an irregular manner (neither longitudinal, nor transverse, at times almost radial – butterflies). Basically, the wings are constructed of veins which act as supporting frame and membrane spanning between these veins. It is even harder because insect wings are natural composites and belong to anisotropic materials. ĭespite interesting and profound analyses, in the vast majority, these researches did not lead to obtaining reliable mechanical parameters. The latter constitute a very interesting case for flight mechanics, since one pair of wings evolved into elytron (wing covers) and in majority of species it is a fixed bearing surface, while the wings act as a propeller. As far as the research of insect wings is concerned, dragonflies and butterflies are most gladly used, followed by beetles. There are also research projects which directly deal with the flexion of a wing and joints of its structures depending on the species of an insect. This knowledge can be used in manufacturing solar cells. Among others, an example of Morpho butterfly was used to examine the method of reflecting white light of a scale in order to identify the method of creating a unique gloss on the wing. There are plans of taking the advantage of the knowledge on the influence of the scale structure on the colours of a wing. Microstructure of the particular scales and their fixings as well as the implication of such a construction are the subjects of numerous research and at the same time give hope of obtaining interesting results. A significant part of scientists focus solely on examining the construction of the wings of Lepidoptera insects. Others try to produce a material (a composite one, usually) reflecting the mechanical parameters and structure of the insect wings or even construct a Biomimetic Micro Aerial Vehicle (BMAV) that is a flying vehicle mimicking not only biological materials but also the way insects move. Some of these works attempt to re-create or mimic the wings, their deformations during flight or the frequency of natural vibrations, even with the application of the FEM method. Wings structures were examined, with a microscope as well, by scientists representing various disciplines, aiming at the description of the construction of a wing. Research falling within the material science which have been performed so far focused mostly on the structure of insects wings instead of their strength parameters. The paper contains a description of experiments performed in order to obtain the data necessary for calculating Young modulus of the wings of selected insect species. Thereby, differences between Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera insects were indicated also within the aspect discussed in this paper. It transpired that the construction of a wing does not only influence the mechanical values but also it influences their susceptibility to the changes occurring in the environment. Obtained results were compared with the observed structure which was also presented under light microscope. It was observed that Young modulus decreased with an increase of humidity hence the calculations of the percentage decrease of this mechanical parameter were performed. Obtained results were averaged and presented with a breakdown by air-humidity conditions. These values were measured on the basis of the images obtained with a SEM microscope. In order to do so, it was also necessary to obtain the moment of inertia of the wing cross-section. Values of the force and displacement obtained in the course of the tests were used to calculate Young modulus. The machine was used to perform numerous bending tests of wings of three species of insects (obtained from a breeding farm): Attacus atlas, Vespa crabro, Libellula depressa in various air-humidity conditions. A small testing machine intended for three-point bending and equipped with instruments registering low forces was constructed for the needs of the experiment. This paper describes a scientific research aimed at obtaining data for determining Young modulus of the wings of selected insects’ species.