Understanding Honey Bees' Hearing Abilities Without Ears

In celebration of the United States' Semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, fireworks are a staple of the 4th of July. One year, my family chose to watch the fireworks from home, enjoying a view from our property near a nearby town. As we settled in, we found ourselves surrounded by about 50 bee colonies, all safely tucked in their hives for the night. To our surprise, each firework explosion triggered a loud buzz from the bees, which lasted about five seconds before they returned to silence. Even though the town was miles away, the noise disturbed my bees enough that I had to monitor the hives closely during the grand finale to prevent any aggressive behavior from the guard bees.