Ask A Bee
Dear Worker Bee #7438-F87904,
My husband and I split last year after 11 years of marriage. We're still good friends, though, and we even go out for coffee once a week. Problem is, lately, he's been seeing a new person, someone I feel is definitely not right for him. Should I say anything? I'm not jealous—I know I wasn't right for him, either. What's my move?
—Protective In Pensacola
Dear Pensacola,
Enable protocol "seek POLLEN"/Must harvest POLLEN for HIVE/feed LARVAE/feed QUEEN/feed DRONES/feed WORKERS/superseding priority: feed QUEEN/standby to receive POLLEN-search-behavior-inducing chemicals/search outside hive in precise searching-pattern (west-southwest forward 400 meters turn 15 degrees west [daylight hours only to find flowering plants] (repeat pattern as necessary)/ locate and fix position of POLLEN/ rub sacs on legs against stamen against pistil against all parts of flowering plant to obtain POLLEN/must find POLLEN/finding POLLEN primary purpose of BEE(WORKER) #7438-F87904/ awaiting query/awaiting query.
Dear Worker Bee #7438-F87904,
I really enjoyed your response to the reader whose husband doesn't enjoy foreplay. In your humble opinion, is there anything wrong with a gal like me demanding that her boyfriend take things slow? Call me old-fashioned, but I'm just not the "Wham, Bam, Thank You, Ma'am" type!
—Frustrated In Frankfort
Dear Frustrated,
Upon location of POLLEN initiate protocol "location-dance"/upon retrieval of POLLEN initiate location-retrieval dance/indicate for HIVE for QUEEN for BEES(WORKER) location of POLLEN/standby to receive POLLEN-location-dance-behavior-inducing chemicals/upon completion of POLLEN dance: commence POLLEN retrieval/ Upon completion of POLLEN search: commence HONEY distribution (HONEY to BEES[WORKERS]) (HONEY to BEES[DRONES]) (ROYAL JELLY to QUEEN repeat ROYAL JELLY to QUEEN)/ upon completion of nutritive distribution commence maintenance-repair of HIVE maintenance-repair of COMBS maintenance-repair of chamber of QUEEN/enable circulation of air through wing-beating/ repeat protocol "seek POLLEN."
Dear Worker Bee #7438-F87904,
I work in a large office, and I think I'm in love with the woman who works in the next cubicle. I'm wary of office romance, though. I mean, what if things don't work out? That could make for a pretty uncomfortable work environment. But I really like this woman. Could the answer be as simple as switching cubicles if things don't work out? Or am I just giving myself an excuse to do something I suspect may be wrong?
—In A Quandary In Quantico
Dear Quantico,
Search for /retrieval of POLLEN interrupted by HIVE-originating aggressor messages/interpreting sense-message(smell-sound) from HIVE/ HIVE under observation by quadruped: sub=mammal: sub=HONEY-eating: sub=OPOSSUM/constitutes THREAT TO QUEEN constitutes THREAT TO HIVE constitutes THREAT TO LARVAE constitutes THREAT TO HONEY/repeat constitutes THREAT TO QUEEN/must respond by swarming (standing by to receive anger-inducing chemicals standing by to receive swarming-behavior-inducing chemicals) STING-use situation possible/STING-use will prove terminal to this unit [contingency not optimal for survival of BEE(WORKER) #7438-F87904]/ follow sting-use protocol only if HIVE-survival probability sub-nominal/protect QUEEN/ protect HIVE/ repeat protect QUEEN/ repeat protect QUEEN/repeat protect QUEEN/ repeat protect QUEEN/ repeat protect QUEEN.
