What's All The Buzz?

Recently on Highways & Byways…

From the BETCHA DON’T KNOW section: WHAT’S ALL THE BUZZ?

By Drew Crosby

Yesterday on the show I discussed the fascinating buzz behind bees.

Why do bees buzz (zumban)?

The fact is we still don’t know a lot about bees’ buzzing.

Sure, they buzz to cool (enfriar) their hives (colmenas) – we know that.

And we know that a queen bee makes a chirping (chirrido) noise that distinguishes her from her sisters’ sounds, whose croaking (croar) noise gives them away (les delata) as “inferior beings” and are killed by their queen sister.

And we’ve recently learned that bees’ antennae are covered with something similar to eardrums (tímpanos). So along with giving bees the ability to smell, their antennae also serve as ears.

But we still don’t understand how bees buzz.

Scientists initially thought that the buzzing came out of 14 breathing holes that bees have on the their sides, called “spiracles.” However, when they covered these holes, the buzzing continued….

It must be the wings.

Is a bee’s buzz caused by the vibration of its wings?

No! Scientists have clipped (han cortado) their wings and…the buzzing continued.