The muscles controlling a bees wings are housed in the middle-part of the body and not directly connected to the wings. They pull on the outside skeleton (exoskeleton) plates and change their shape from convex to concave. In "clicking" these plates change from a convex to a concave shape that now stores energy. The energy is released as the plates "spring back" to a convex shape. Clickbox toys use this same principle for propulsion.

The frequency of wingbeats for a bee is around 200 beats per second. This is necessitated by the relatively small wing surface compared to the body size.

 

Typically when insects first emerge from their last molt "blood" is pumped into their wing veins to help them unfold. These veins latter stiffen and act as battens do on a sail to keep it from twisting in the wind.