tooting and quacking vibration signals of honeybee queens: a quantitative analysis

The behavior of young honeybee, Apis mellifera , queens and of worker bees was studied in an observation hive. Tooting and quacking signals emitted by the queens were recorded as airborne sound and as substrate vibrations of the combs by means of a microphone and a laser vibrometer, respectively. This observation may suggest that bees recognize these signals mainly by their temporal structure. A comparison of the threshold, emission level, and attenuation with distance, suggests that these and other vibration signals are used by honey bees only for local communication within a restricted area of the comb.