# Maximum Flying Altitude for Flies, Mosquitos etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331 "2018-06-18T19:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/1 "2018-06-18T19:00:03Z")
I assume these and similar insects can only get up to a certain height, and that anyone whose windows are above that height would not need screens to keep them out. Is this correct? And if so, what is that height? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/2 "2018-06-18T19:10:19Z")
I would think strong updrafts could take them up fairly high in the sky whether they like it or not… ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/3 "2018-06-18T19:36:47Z")
I seem to remember that back when I lived in New York City, apartments above the 6th floor were not furnished with window screens. No central air either as it was the 60’s. I was only 17 or so and might be remembering incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/4 "2018-06-18T19:50:22Z")
I was on the uppermost floor of the Empire State Building a few years ago and lots of bees could be seen outside the windows. The presence of multiple bees makes me think there must have been a hive up in the sky, and that they would have to descend quite far to find flowers and then ascend home. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/5 "2018-06-18T19:52:53Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I seem to remember that back when I lived in New York City, apartments above the 6th floor were not furnished with window screens. No central air either as it was the 60’s. I was only 17 or so and might be remembering incorrectly. I always heard that it was the 5th floor. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/6 "2018-06-18T20:10:22Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I assume these and similar insects can only get up to a certain height, and that anyone whose windows are above that height would not need screens to keep them out. > > Is this correct? And if so, what is that height? You mean height above local terrain, or altitude above sea level? Because they seem to do fine in the mountains (well above 10,000 feet) As far as height above local terrain…[there’s this.](https://www.quora.com/Do-mosquitoes-only-hover-at-ground-level-If-I-live-on-the-3rd-floor-of-an-apartment-will-a-mosquito-fly-up-to-find-me-What-about-the-5th-or-50th-floor) Sounds like some species naturally include 40-foot-high airspace as their stomping grounds. Breezes can take them much higher, but I imagine that’s an uncommon thing. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/7 "2018-06-18T20:15:56Z")
Insects will mostly stay where the food is. What I have typically heard is that if you are above the tree level in your area, you are mostly safe from bugs coming in through your window. The key word there is “mostly”. I’ve heard of people who live 20 or more stories up who have had insects occasionally fly in through their windows. It’s nowhere near as common as someone who lives on the 4th floor, but it happens. Insects have been found up in the 15,000 to 20,000 foot range. At these heights, bugs start running into the same problems that humans do, extreme cold combined with a lack of oxygen. I don’t know what the world record is for insect altitude, but I imagine it’s pretty high. Poking around on google, I found that bees have been found at about 20,000 feet on Mt. Everest. Scientists tested the bees in a vacuum chamber and found that they could survive and continue flying at simulated altitudes up to close to 30,000 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/8 "2018-06-18T20:44:01Z")
I work in the Bank of America Plaza, in Atlanta. I’ve seen insects on the 47 floor window. I didn’t think they could get that high, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/9 "2018-06-18T22:21:11Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Insects will mostly stay where the food is. What I have typically heard is that if you are above the tree level in your area, you are mostly safe from bugs coming in through your window. > > . I was told that when the American settlers first moved west, they could keep food away from flies by hanging it trees. True or myth? No idea. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/10 "2018-06-18T22:59:51Z")
Interesting question the OP poses, and appreicate everybody’s feedback. I can say at 8,750’ where I have my log cabin in the Sangre de Christo mtns, I often go the whole year without seeing a single mosquito, and I’m covered with old thick forest growth of 100’ trees, so the wind really isn’t all that strong either. I do have some flies, only time they are a nuisance is when I’m cooking meat outside. There is a very small moth population about half the size of a dime, that seems to do fine though. I suppose the several dozen bats that come out at dusk spend most of their time feeding off of them, since the mosquito population is almost nil. The few mosquitoes I have seen at this altitude, were slow as hell. Since where I’m at all of the water is from natural springs and a creek that keeps the water moving, that also is a good deterent not having any standing water for the mosquitoes to lay their eggs in. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/11 "2018-06-18T23:02:08Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I was told that when the American settlers first moved west, they could keep food away from flies by hanging it trees. True or myth? No idea. Wouldn’t think so myself. Did they give the reasoning behind that? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/12 "2018-06-18T23:14:42Z")
> [@Daddypants](#): > > I work in the Bank of America Plaza, in Atlanta. I’ve seen insects on the 47 floor window. I didn’t think they could get that high, but there you go. I wonder if updrafts play a role, as well. I know that I’ve frequently seen spiders in webs just outside of the windows in skyscrapers in Chicago; there must be enough bugs in the vicinity for them to survive and thrive. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/13 "2018-06-19T00:02:59Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I was told that when the American settlers first moved west, they could keep food away from flies by hanging it trees. True or myth? No idea. I thought that was [bears](https://www.princeton.edu/~oa/training/bearbag.shtml). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/14 "2018-06-19T11:25:31Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I wonder if updrafts play a role, as well. I know that I’ve frequently seen spiders in webs just outside of the windows in skyscrapers in Chicago; there must be enough bugs in the vicinity for them to survive and thrive. Apart from [ballooning,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballooning_(spider)) AIUI spiders just set up shop wherever they are and hope for the best. Their presence outside high windows doesn’t necessarily mean they are surviving and thriving there; they may just land there on a random breeze, build a web, and then shrivel and die over the course of several days for lack of prey. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/15 "2018-06-19T11:45:23Z")
I have seen a fly at about 35,000 feet. He had no trouble flying around the cabin of that plane. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/16 "2018-06-19T12:35:55Z")
I bet if they suddenly decided to depressurize the cabin that no tiny little oxygen mask would descend from the ceiling for him though. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/17 "2018-06-19T12:45:02Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > There is a very small moth population about half the size of a dime, that seems to do fine though. I didn’t write that right. The small moths actually do have a fairly good population, I misrepresented that with their small size. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/18 "2018-06-19T14:03:36Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Apart from [ballooning,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballooning_(spider)) AIUI spiders just set up shop wherever they are and hope for the best. Their presence outside high windows doesn’t necessarily mean they are surviving and thriving there; they may just land there on a random breeze, build a web, and then shrivel and die over the course of several days for lack of prey. Spiders (& other insects) like the smell of mercaptan (the odor that is added to propane). We’ll occasionally see one a few thousand feet up. > [@TriPolar](#): > > I have seen a fly at about 35,000 feet. He had no trouble flying around the cabin of that plane. I guess they’re occasionally stowaways on other kinds of aircraft, too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/19 "2018-06-19T14:14:10Z")
Insects have been found at insanely high altitudes: > [@](#): > > Scientists have collected locusts flying at heights of 14,764 feet (4,500 m); true bugs, stoneflies, mayflies, and caddisflies at altitudes over 16,404 feet (5,000 m); and flies and butterflies over 19,685 feet (6,000 m), according to Michael Dillon, a researcher with the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming. > **[How High Can Insects Fly?](https://www.livescience.com/55454-how-high-can-insects-fly.html)** > > Birds aren't the only animals that can soar to exceptional heights. Insects can also rise to the occasion, reaching astounding altitudes. In addition, they can live at very high altitudes (although they are “only a few feet off the ground” at that altitude) > [@](#): > > Insects can fly and kite at very high altitude. In 2008, a colony of bumble bees was discovered on Mount Everest at more than 5,600 metres (18,400 ft) above sea level, the highest known altitude for an insect. In subsequent tests some of the bees were still able to fly in a flight chamber which recreated the thinner air of 9,000 metres (30,000 ft).[ > **[Organisms at high altitude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisms_at_high_altitude)** > > Organisms can live at high altitude, either on land, in water, or while flying. Decreased oxygen availability and decreased temperature make life at such altitudes challenging, though many species have been successfully adapted via considerable physiological changes. As opposed to short-term acclimatisation (immediate physiological response to changing environment), high-altitude adaptation means irreversible, evolved physiological responses to high-altitude environments, associated with heritab... ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331/20 "2018-06-19T14:19:51Z")
One of the many effects of global warming is that [\*\* warmer climate threatens malaria spread in Ethiopia\*\*](https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/sci-tech/2017-06-15-warmer-climate-threatens-malaria-spread-in-ethiopia-study/) and other locales where communities developed above the altitude that shielded them from the mosquitoes that deliver that deadly disease. > [@](#): > > Cool, high-lying areas of Ethiopia hitherto shielded from heat-loving malaria mosquitoes are increasingly exposed to the disease as the climate warms, researchers said. > Most Ethiopians live in the country’s highlands, and have long enjoyed natural protection against mosquitoes carrying the malaria-causing parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. > But the buffered area has been shrinking since 1981, scientists reported in the journal Environmental Research Letters. About six million people live in the newly-vulnerable regions. > Air temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius prevent development of P. falciparum. The survival threshold for P. vivax is 15 C, according to the research team. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-flying-altitude-for-flies-mosquitos-etc/816331.md?page=2)