Have you ever walked under a flowering tree in the springtime right when the flowers are full of bees and it seems like the whole tree is alive and buzzing? How does it make you feel?

Have you ever just watched bees buzzing around on a sunflower as it gently sways in the breeze? What are you thinking about in those moments?

Or how about when you pop the cover of a hive or puff a bit of smoke, have you noticed that sound the bees make; that rush of buzzing? What effect does it have on you?

 

As beekeepers we learn to listen for the various changes in pitch of the hive to give us clues about their state or behavior. Like when they start to get agitated and their volume increases, or that unusual, slightly frenzied, nervous pitch when they’re missing a queen.

But did you know that sounds that we hear from bees and the hive are actually relaxing for our brains? The rapid movement and vibration of the wing muscles creates a vibration which emits a frequency. Reports show that a hive emits a frequency of between 280-350Hz depending on the activity level of the bees. And, it’s this frequency that has a calming and healing effect for humans. It’s one of the sounds of nature, like the sound of water or rustling leaves, that are soothing to our overloaded ears.

 

However, when we listen to nature sounds our brain patterns change to more external-focused attention. They saw that listening to nature sounds increased brain activity associated with the rest reaction as opposed to the fight-or-flight reaction. Plus, study participants who registered high levels of stress at the beginning of the study showed the biggest relaxation benefits from listening to nature sounds.

If you’re interested in trying to relax to the sound of bees, I found and their recording of a beehive in the forest. Give it a try, you deserve to take some time to take care of your mental health.