aggienaut: (Bees)
Aggienaut ([personal profile] aggienaut) wrote2012-01-23 07:41 am

Keeping

“You keep them? Like on purpose?”

“Yep”

“In a great big box?”

“Yeah they have their own sorta hive out in the yard”

“And they don’t like leave?”

“No they think they live there”

“Oh, you’re so brave, I don’t think I could ever live with a whole hive of them so close to me”

Barbara looked at her new friend with respect, and continued “I think I’m allergic to humans!”

As they buzzed casually through the sun-dappled shade of the oak trees Alma sighed and explained: “It’s common to think one is allergic to humans but it’s usually just because of the smoke they like to blow into our hives, and feelings of irritation are just a normal reaction to having humans close to the hive, but you can get used to it.”

“But what about those ‘killer humans’ I used to hear about on the news??”

“Oh they’re real but not as common as the media makes it out to be. In fact having our own humans keeps the killer humans away! Research shows killer humans are much more likely to show up if the local humans have been unaware of your hive’s presence for awhile”

“That’s really counterintuitive”

“I know. Humans, what can I say”

“So you can manage your humans okay?”

“Yes we just sting them a little bit whenever they’re misbehaving and they eventually learn to be very well behaved. They maintain a nice flower garden for us and make medicines for us and in return we give them some honey.”

“How do they make these medications?”

“Oh I don’t know, I think it’s the weird stuff they eat, and then they probably secrete the stuff back in their hive.”

“Hm I suppose that makes sense”

“So for example if we are all feeling a bit woozy and think there’s a case of, you know, the nosema going around, all we have to do is paint our porch polka dot and the humans come out shortly with some sugar syrup with nosema medicine mixed in.”

“Oh wow, that’s nice. Why polka dots?”

“They think it means we’re going to the loo on our own porch”

“Oh gross.”

“I know! Humans."

"Well, I've got to go the other way from here, it was nice talking to you!"

"You too!"

Barbara watched for a minute as Alma flew towards her hive, which looked tiny beside a huge human-hive, then she shook her head in disbelief and turned to fly home.




I'm in Portland, Oregon, this morning for a job interview as head beekeeper with a larger agricultural enterprise you have probably heard of, wish me luck! ::crosses fingers:: [update!]

[identity profile] locknkey.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I adored this. Love the POV and the tone. :)

GOOD LUCK!

[identity profile] similiesslip.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Due to events in the past month, sometimes I think I would prefer bees. Their social rules seem fairly straightforward and understandable.

I love how you reversed the perspective. I wonder at the courage of wild animals to live anywhere near us humans, the way we destroy their habitats and hunting areas.

Your entry may be humorous but it's really something worth pondering.

I hope you get the job!:)

[identity profile] teaberryblue.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I love you for writing this.

[identity profile] fimbrethil.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I loved this story.

Good luck!

[identity profile] millysdaughter.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
This was fun!

[identity profile] hosticle-fifer.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh, this was great. "Look at those humans! THEY THINK THEY'RE PEOPLE"

[identity profile] blythe025.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
This was most amusing. :)

[identity profile] basric.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Lovely post & good luck on the job interview.

[identity profile] heatherenchantd.livejournal.com 2012-01-23 08:50 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG I died laughing at this, haha.

Good luck with the interview! I'm sure you will do wonderfully. :)

[identity profile] nodressrehersal.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
A fun story, unique POV for sure! And good luck...

[personal profile] cosmolinguist 2012-01-24 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Your writing is so much fun.

[identity profile] alien-infinity.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
This was funny! I loved the voices of your characters. <3

[identity profile] vaguelyclear.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
This was great! Hope the interview went/goes well :D

[identity profile] lawchicky.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
LOL- good one!

[identity profile] yuniebaby.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
Love this! Wonderful entry. ^_^

[identity profile] whipchick.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
Very cute POV! And good luck :)

[identity profile] sarcasmoqueen.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Very nicely done!

[identity profile] karmasoup.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
So cute!

[identity profile] myrna-bird.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 06:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Very cute Bee story. Good luck with the interview! :)

[identity profile] rumplebuttkins.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, very clever!

[identity profile] team-jessie.livejournal.com 2012-01-24 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Hehe, too cute! Personally, I appear to be owned (that's both "owned" and "pwn'd") by a rather in-your-face bunch of yellow jackets. They're find of our neighbor's apple tree.

[identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com 2012-01-25 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
Oh that's quite unfortunate, yellowjackets are quite impertinent!!! ):

[identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com 2012-01-25 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
I like to point out that after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster a 50km exclusion zone was established around the site in which people were evacuated and it has remained people-less ever since, and as a consequence, wildlife is now flourishing there. Why? Because a nuclear meltdown is less damaging to nature than the regular activities of humans.

[identity profile] jacq22.livejournal.com 2012-01-25 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
A great entry and I have every sympath, bees are incredible.

Good luck with the job.

[identity profile] m-malcontent.livejournal.com 2012-01-25 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
How clever, enjoyed this much.

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