The life of a bee, according to a bee.
I was off into the fields the next morning. It was a warm, humid mid-summer day, and I was excited to see the sights, hear the sounds, and smell the scents of this beautiful world. All of the flowers smiled at me, and the trees begged me to come pay them a visit. I had dreamed of this for a long time.
There were dangers out here, too. Birds, toads, skunks, even dogs would snap at a bee busy at work. Even the weather could become life-threatening at times. A sudden storm, with its heavy rains, could knock a girl out of the air into a wet grave. A sudden drop of temperature could chill one before she could safely return home.
The risks were plenty, but the freedom was worth it. Gone were the dark, hot days in the hive, where one could get lost in the crowds and practically forget her own name and face. No more taking orders from whoever was giving them at the time. I was my own boss now, and I had a job to do.
I didn't have much time either. In less than two months, the crops would be through. Whatever we'd collected by that time would have to last us through the winter. Plus, we had to get as much extra nectar and pollen as possible, in case of a long winter or the inevitable honey thieves in the fall. We had to make the most of every day.
Work can get to be pretty tedious at times. It really seems like a bee's work is never done. We're constantly on the go, searching for food, cleaning house, and taking care of the youngsters. Sometimes I can't help but wonder, "Why do it at all?"
I mean, there are some bees, not many, but a few, who hardly do anything at all. They just find a quiet, secluded corner in the hive and hide out there constantly. When they get hungry, they help themselves to food that I and others have been collecting all day. When it gets cold or they're in need of something, they come to those of us who've been working and act like they've been there all along, working just as hard as the next girl.
Sometimes I just get tired of working for those lazy bums. Why should I be working my stinger off, when they're doing nothing but living off the fruits of my hard labor? I could just as easily be a lazy, no-good beatnik, doing nothing useful whatsoever for my hive, but I don't. I work and take care of my own needs and the needs of the hive as a whole, even the lazy bum bees who eat up our resources and give nothing back in return. They'd be better off dead, but we tolerate and take care of them nonetheless. If only they would work and contribute something to the hive, imagine how much better off we'd be, as a whole.
But they don't, because they have no reason to. Why should they? They're getting a free ride now, as it is. Now if we, the hive community, did something to motivate these lazy individuals to get up, get out, and do something, we'd be doing ourselves and them a favor. For instance, the queen could say, "If you don't contribute to the hive in some manner, be it food collection, nursing, Queen's Court, housecleaning, guarding, scouting, etc., then you cannot take from the hives resources and benefit from our collective effort, an effort that you have not participated in." That only seems fair to me. Work or die. Because if you don't work, you will die... we won't carry you any more. Do something. Even if you can't do anything, do something. There's always some little thing, or big thing, that needs to be done. The world will never run out of jobs to do. And we'd all be a lot happier if we knew that everybody else in the community was working just as hard as we are to better our lives and the lives of future generations.
I was off into the fields the next morning. It was a warm, humid mid-summer day, and I was excited to see the sights, hear the sounds, and smell the scents of this beautiful world. All of the flowers smiled at me, and the trees begged me to come pay them a visit. I had dreamed of this for a long time.
There were dangers out here, too. Birds, toads, skunks, even dogs would snap at a bee busy at work. Even the weather could become life-threatening at times. A sudden storm, with its heavy rains, could knock a girl out of the air into a wet grave. A sudden drop of temperature could chill one before she could safely return home.
The risks were plenty, but the freedom was worth it. Gone were the dark, hot days in the hive, where one could get lost in the crowds and practically forget her own name and face. No more taking orders from whoever was giving them at the time. I was my own boss now, and I had a job to do.
I didn't have much time either. In less than two months, the crops would be through. Whatever we'd collected by that time would have to last us through the winter. Plus, we had to get as much extra nectar and pollen as possible, in case of a long winter or the inevitable honey thieves in the fall. We had to make the most of every day.
Work can get to be pretty tedious at times. It really seems like a bee's work is never done. We're constantly on the go, searching for food, cleaning house, and taking care of the youngsters. Sometimes I can't help but wonder, "Why do it at all?"
I mean, there are some bees, not many, but a few, who hardly do anything at all. They just find a quiet, secluded corner in the hive and hide out there constantly. When they get hungry, they help themselves to food that I and others have been collecting all day. When it gets cold or they're in need of something, they come to those of us who've been working and act like they've been there all along, working just as hard as the next girl.
Sometimes I just get tired of working for those lazy bums. Why should I be working my stinger off, when they're doing nothing but living off the fruits of my hard labor? I could just as easily be a lazy, no-good beatnik, doing nothing useful whatsoever for my hive, but I don't. I work and take care of my own needs and the needs of the hive as a whole, even the lazy bum bees who eat up our resources and give nothing back in return. They'd be better off dead, but we tolerate and take care of them nonetheless. If only they would work and contribute something to the hive, imagine how much better off we'd be, as a whole.
But they don't, because they have no reason to. Why should they? They're getting a free ride now, as it is. Now if we, the hive community, did something to motivate these lazy individuals to get up, get out, and do something, we'd be doing ourselves and them a favor. For instance, the queen could say, "If you don't contribute to the hive in some manner, be it food collection, nursing, Queen's Court, housecleaning, guarding, scouting, etc., then you cannot take from the hives resources and benefit from our collective effort, an effort that you have not participated in." That only seems fair to me. Work or die. Because if you don't work, you will die... we won't carry you any more. Do something. Even if you can't do anything, do something. There's always some little thing, or big thing, that needs to be done. The world will never run out of jobs to do. And we'd all be a lot happier if we knew that everybody else in the community was working just as hard as we are to better our lives and the lives of future generations.
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