Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1886 — Do Bees Hear? [ARTICLE]

Do Bees Hear?

Mis. A. W. Osborn, "who is engaged in bee-keeping on the island of Cuba, •writes the Bee Journal: There seems to me to be no doubt that bees hear; not only do I think they hear, but I haveHjpeen placed in circumstances when I was fully convinced that they could hear, ’and hear quickly, too. While keeping bees in California several times I have seen bees attack horses, dogs, etc., and from the time that the first bee attacked these animals it would not be half a minute before there would be ten thousand to take part in the battle. Those that have never seen bees attack an animal in earnest can form no idea how short a time it is before the object of their wrath is completely covered with the little stingers. Now, if bees can net hear, how do they communicate so quickly? The numbers and numbers of evidences that I see while handling bees constantly lead me to thick that they can hear. At that particular time when they have decided to sting something to death I would say, do not attempt to liberate whatever they are wreaking their vengeance upon, for at that time they show no respect of persons. I tried it once/and ®I .shall never try it again. Although I had a veil on I was so badly stung that I had to go to bed—the only time in my life that they got the best of me to such an extent. Were it my own horse, dog, or cow, and it could not get away itself, I would not take the chances for the price of a good many such animals* Talk about boiled down and concentrated wrath—the words do not express what one sees when a large apiary of bees has fully decided to kill somebody.