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How do bees determine the direction of sound?


They hear with the subgenual organs on all 6 legs as well as Johnston’s organs on the antennae. Their brains processing the sensory input from that many receptive organs on the 6 legs would probably give them the direction of a vibration source, and therefore of “sound”. However, a bee’s brain comparing the vibrations received by the Johnston’s organs of the two separate antennae is probably the easiest way to think of them as perceiving the direction of sound, much as we use our 2 ears.

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Bees "hear" with their legs.

It makes sense that bees would "hear" the vibrations we call sound waves with their antennae, but "hearing" with their legs? A group, of sensors on the bee's tibia, called the subgenual organ, pick up

 
 
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