> It depends what one understands by “hearing”. I would maintain that perception of vibration is generally understood to be something other than hearing. 

Quite. As a matter of fact, the ability to receive signals is quite distinct from the ability to assign meaning to them. I remember discussing why some dogs seem so upset by fireworks. I pointed out that we enjoy the denotation of explosives on the fourth of July. Fifteen minutes of uninterrupted blasts on another day might have most of us imagining world war three.

Whether bees can hear is one thing. Whether they associate sounds with anything is another. They obviously regard thumping on the hive as a threat but I don't think that loud noises near the hive cause them much concern, if any.

PLB

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