The oil on their feet is strong enough to repel the water and there weight is spread out enough that when their feet touch the water, the oil and the water repel each other like when you pour oil on water the oil floats on the top... same principle
Certain insects (ones with a very light weight) are able to walk on water as their weight does not break the surface tension of the water. Water has a very high surface tension, therefore easily breaking and not supporting weight above a certain limit.
Insects that are able to walk across the surface of water are called water striders. Water striders make use of the high surface tension of water together with their long, hydrophobic legs to stay above water.
most insects can not float on water, but it depends. A bee will drown if it gets its wings in the water (along with most, if not all, winged insects), but some insects are specifically made to stand on water and catch gnats that are around.
A pond skater insect is held up by surface tension.Water molecules have an attraction for each other. At the surface of the liquid there is no water in one direction (up, naturally) so the molecules at the surface are pulled with a net force downwards. This creates a surface layer which has a high viscous property (know as surface tension). To penetrate this layer requires a measurable force. Since the weight of a pond skater does not exceed this force it is held up by the surface of the water.
The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension. The molecules at the surface of a glass of water do not have other water molecules on all sides of them and consequently they cohere more strongly to those directly associated with them (in this case, next to and below them, but not above). It is not really true that a "skin" forms on the water surface; the stronger cohesion between the water molecules as opposed to the attraction of the water molecules to the air makes it more difficult to move an object through the surface than to move it when it is completely submersed. Pond skating insects reveal water-walking secrets as they effortlessly skip across the surface leaving nothing but a tiny ripple in their wake, according to a new study. The insects use the middle of their three pairs of legs to row across the water, creating vortices with the tiny hairs that cover their legs, similar to the swirling vortices created just beneath the surface by am oar when it slices the water that twist away and propel the boat forward. The hairs, the only part of the insect’s body that penetrates the water, are covered in a waxy substance that keeps water out by allowing bubbles to attach to them which have drawn the attention of materials scientists looking for a permanent waterproofing material that doesn’t wash off. With these two combined, this is how the insect can walk on water
Certain insects (ones with a very light weight) are able to walk on water as their weight does not break the surface tension of the water. Water has a very high surface tension, therefore easily breaking and not supporting weight above a certain limit.
Insects that are able to walk across the surface of water are called water striders. Water striders make use of the high surface tension of water together with their long, hydrophobic legs to stay above water.
Some insects are able to move around on a lake or pond because of the surface tension of the lake or pond.
Insects are able to walk across bodies of water without sinking because of their weight. Insects weigh literally nothing.
Water has a retention rate, if the insect it lighter than what it would take to break the retention then it would be able to float on the surface without being submerged.
The property of water allowing some insects and other animals to walk on its surface is called "surface tension".
The advantage of floating to a bullfrog means that they are able to collect insects off the surface of the water. Bullfrogs eat insects as large as dragonflies.
Surface tension can support the weight of small creatures such as water striders or insects that are lightweight and have specialized adaptations like long legs. Larger animals may not be able to use surface tension to walk on water due to their weight exceeding the surface tension's ability to support them.
Pond skating insects reveal water-walking secrets as they effortlessly skip across the surface leaving nothing but a tiny ripple in their wake, according to a new study. The insects use the middle of their three pairs of legs to row across the water, creating vortices with the tiny hairs that cover their legs, similar to the swirling vortices created just beneath the surface by am oar when it slices the water that twist away and propel the boat forward. The hairs, the only part of the insect’s body that penetrates the water, are covered in a waxy substance that keeps water out by allowing bubbles to attach to them which have drawn the attention of materials scientists looking for a permanent waterproofing material that doesn’t wash off.
Insects that have the ability to walk on water have feet that are spread very far apart. This allows their weight to be distributed over a larger area and stops them from breaking the surface tension of water molecules sticking together.
Jumping spiders are able to walk on water due to their small size and the surface tension of the water. They can also use water as a hunting ground, preying on insects that come to drink or lay eggs. However, jumping spiders generally avoid getting wet as it can hinder their ability to move and hunt effectively.
There are several insects that can walk on water due to the water's surface tension. There are over 300 species of water striders that are able to walk on water, as well as several species of ant.