Just as the queen bee had secured her dominance over the workers and the hive was beginning to rebuild, the massive creature—whose paw had first trapped her here—reached in again, tearing away the newly repaired honeycomb.
The queen tried to suppress her frustration. The giant’s intrusion disrupted the delicate balance she had fought so hard to establish. Worse, this honeycomb had been painstakingly reconstructed with the hive’s limited resources. Without it, there would be no honey, no brood, and the colony’s survival was once more in jeopardy. Where was the giant taking them?
As quickly as the crisis had emerged, the pressure began to lift. The giant deposited the stolen honeycomb into a cavern. The space was enormous, a definite upgrade over her last accommodation. It had plenty of rafters and pillars to support honeycombs and was very defensible. It was also well-ventilated, with several entry and exit points.
Then, the entire hive began to rock. At first, the queen and the workers huddled in a corner, scared of the powerful tremors. After a few moments, they found a rhythm, like the beat of giant drums. After the hive rocked, a strange, sweet scent wafted in from outside—friendly but alien. Determined to understand this new situation, the queen sent a scout through the cavern's openings.
When the worker returned, it danced, moving in tight, figure-eight patterns and waggling its body at specific angles while vibrating and pulsing with urgency. The queen and the other bees watched the dance, absorbing the vital information. The scout conveyed the presence of a massive, moss-covered giant outside, with two trunk-like limbs and branches sticking at its ends. Its paws are just like the paw that put the honeycomb here in the first place. It was carrying their home to an unknown destination.
The queen bee pondered her next move. What should she do? Send an order to attack? Command the weak colony to charge against this strange giant with limited numbers? As she considered the heavy decision, more of the floral, pleasant scent came in. Something about it was soothing and friendly, like the scent of a tree or a flower. The bee’s instincts told her that this was no enemy. It was a strange part of their new home. Additionally, if this giant turned out to be an ally, it would perhaps become a guardian that defended the hive from dangers.
The queen decided to wait and see where this giant led them. In the meantime, it was time to do what a bee did best: work. She marched around the colony, spreading a scent that exuded confidence and a drive to work. At her beckoning, the workers’ instincts kicked in.
They flew up to the well of sugary water and drank it. Their bodies started to produce soft, white flakes of wax, which they chewed until it became pliable. Using the natural cement, they began anchoring the honeycomb to the cavern walls, carefully molding it around the pillars to form a stable structure. The hive’s constant swaying motion didn't stop them. The bees quickly grew accustomed to the rhythm of the giant’s movements. It was what they would have had to deal with if their hive were swinging from a tree.
As the workers settled into the small honeycomb in the cavern, the queen sent scouts again. They flew off one of the holes in the cavern and returned shortly. When they returned, both danced with jerking motions and unconventional angles. They reported a bizarre and unsettling landscape: a barren desert with barely any flowers or life stretching endlessly under a blazing sun. There were also giants everywhere, walking in every direction. A flat, never-ending horizontal hive of stone and dust with no honey.
With each step the giant took, new scents wafted into the cavern—some sweet, others unpleasant. Occasionally, the faint perfume of distant flowers tempted the queen, but the giant passed them by before any worker could be dispatched.
The wave of optimism faded under worries of a bleak future. Was this giant really their friend? This land had no ingredients for honey. Whatever little there was, the giant was bypassing it. Should the queen revisit her plans to attack? Should she run away and organize a swarm? No. It was too dangerous. How could her small contingency of bees hope to survive a flight outside of the walls of this cavern if there were giants everywhere?
Something changed after a while. As the giant traveled, a fresh scent began to filter in—a smell full of life and promise—the scent of greenery, nectar, and blooming flowers. The queen recognized it instantly, although she was the only one who did. Her excitement was palpable. It was the smell of the great green—her home—the place she’d been before all these strange events transpired and trapped her here.
She waited expectantly. With each giant's rocking motion, the smell grew stronger. The giant was heading toward the great green. She dared not distract the workers yet. They were under her command, but a failed promise or empty talk of a paradise could spur a mutiny.
She waited patiently. The giant stopped and moved. Finally, after a few rocking motions, the faint smell became much stronger. They were on the edge of a great, lush jungle rich with flowers and nectar. Here, they could thrive. Here, the colony could grow strong.
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She waited a little longer until the smell became overwhelming. The giant was their friend. He had brought them back into the jungle. It was time to deploy the hive. She danced frantically, releasing energizing pheromones.
The workers, spurred on by the queen's enthusiasm, began leaving the cavern. It wasn’t long before one, and another started returning with full stomachs and legs laden with golden pollen.
The bees eagerly shared their bounty with the hive, passing the nectar to other workers. The hive hummed with joy as the foragers danced their tales of vibrant flowers, tall trees, and a gentle breeze.
*
It had been a while since their home had stopped rocking. The giant stood nearby, busy with its strange hive. A worker bee emerged from one of the holes in the large glazed green clay pot and took flight. Instead of heading toward the massive body of water, it turned in the opposite direction, flying toward the jungle trees. The air was thick with the scent of flowers, and the worker bee knew where to go.
After a short flight, it found a beautiful white flower nestled among the greenery, its petals wide open, revealing a heart full of nectar. The bee hovered above it briefly, then dipped down, extending its long tongue into the flower. The sweet and plentiful nectar flowed up the bee’s tongue like water through a straw.
With its honey stomach full, the worker bee began the journey back to the hive. The flight felt shorter this time. It re-entered the clay hive and immediately sought out another worker bee. The two bees met, their antennae brushing in greeting, and then the nectar was passed from one to the other, mouth to mouth.
The receiving bee chewed on the nectar, working it in its mouth, transforming the sweet liquid. This bee, too, soon passed the nectar to another. The process repeated several times until the nectar had thickened. Once the nectar was chewed for long enough, the bees deposited it into the honeycomb. The hexagonal cells began to fill, golden and shining.
Bees lined up at the cells, fanning their wings furiously over the surface of the honey, coaxing the moisture to evaporate, thickening it until it became syrupy and rich. Only a little more and the honey would be ready.
In the meantime, other workers expanded the honeycomb. They kept increasing the network of little wax jars that would house more honey and their brood. A group of workers had just begun a special royal chamber to house the queen and provide her with the comfort she needed to continue laying eggs.
There was also the faint smell of smoke, but not the kind that signaled danger. It was a controlled burn, a soothing scent that kept the larvae in the eggs calm and safe from the dangers of the outside world. Everything was falling into place, and the hive was on the brink of prosperity.
It seemed impossible for life to get any better. They had everything they needed right here, and they were growing. That’s when a new sound filled the cavern. It was a series of fluting sounds similar to a queen’s call but organized into a beautiful sequence. It was unlike anything they had ever heard.
Vibrations translated the joy of work, the beauty of blossoming flowers, and the sweetness of honey into music. The melody infused the workers with renewed energy, their wings buzzing faster, their mandibles chewing on the nectar with more vigor, and their legs skittering excitedly. The song was like the beating heart of the hive, synchronizing their movements and uplifting their spirits.
The melody kept going for a while, and the hive worked at unprecedented speed. But then it suddenly stopped. Another sound arrived—different, harsh, and grating. The queen sent out scouts once more. The returning workers relayed their findings in an alarmed, quick dance.
Giants were approaching, and they were dangerously close. The period of peace turned out to be the quiet before the storm. The giants were too close to their home, and their giant was too far. She had a good thing going on in here. They were well-located, and the colony was growing strong. Just a little more, and they would have their first batch of honey!
The queen inspected her workers. She knew that when a bee stung, it was a death sentence for that worker. She couldn’t afford to lose too many, but the threat had to be addressed. With a heavy heart, the queen selected the oldest bees in the colony—ones who had served their purpose but were still capable of one final, heroic act. She sent them out to confront the threat.
Three bees left the colony through one of the holes and took flight. They spotted the giants around the fire and flew toward them. They circled the giants once, their senses overwhelmed by the strange scent of sweat mixed with the calming scent of smoke. The command from their queen echoed in their mind. They dove, aiming their sharp sting at the intruder's exposed flesh.
The moment their stings pierced the giants, a jolt surged through their bodies. Their stings anchored them to the giants. They felt a sharp, searing pain as their abdomens tore away, leaving part of them behind, embedded in the intruder. Their lives were slipping away, their strength fading fast, but they still managed to make themselves take flight and dodged the giant paws of the giants. They flew as fast as their leaking strength allowed. Their sacrifice was complete.
The world around them grew dim, but they still managed to return to the hive, barely clinging to life. The other bees greeted them with a soft hum. The queen approached the first workers who had fought to death for her. She lay on the hive’s floor, her body holding still; the scent of gratitude and sorrow filled the air. She owed them. She would stay with them until they fell asleep.
Once life left the warriors, the queen sent a scout to assess the attack's result. The invaders were driven away, and the threat was neutralized for now. Relief spread through the colony. The bees had managed to protect their home, this time at least.
The queen told the workers to keep working. Maybe only three stingers wouldn’t do it next time. They had to grow stronger so that they could protect their family and their honey.