It is no more only the century-old fact that a beehive buzzing changes when the queen bee is removed. Scientists have discovered a ‘living’ alarm system to warn against toxins in the honeybees!
The honeybees are found to be highly sensitive to different chemical types. Their buzz also changes when their exposure to different types of chemicals. Thus to detect toxic chemicals such as those potentially used in terror attacks, take the help of the natural sounds, the buzzing of the honeybees.
This behavior may help beekeepers monitor the health of the honeybees’ hives.
The bees can be great candidates for the U.S. Army toxic detection squad, as can quickly detect a poisonous cloud of gas. Above all, the honeybees share a common sensitivity to many of the same chemicals the army generally needs to detect.
Bromenshenk, also with the University of Montana said,
We found bees respond within 30 seconds or less to the presence of a toxic chemical. But the real surprise was that the sounds bees produce can actually tell what chemical is hitting them.