A tympanal organ (or tympanic organ) is a hearing organ in insects, consisting of a membrane (tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons. Sounds vibrate the membrane, and the vibrations are sensed by a chordotonal organ.

Can Hymenoptera hear?

There is strong evidence that some kind of hearing exists in two other insect orders: the Coleoptera (beetles) and the Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps).

How do insects detect vibrations?

Many hearing insects have a pair of tympanal organs that vibrate when they catch sound waves in the air. ... An insect also has a special receptor called the chordotonal organ, which senses the vibration of the tympanal organ and translates the sound into a nerve impulse.