Hi Jane, I wondered if you might be interested in this for your Random Dialogues. I do a monthly column for a beekeeping magazine and this is the June column.

Great thanks Peter!⬇️

🍯Honeybee Evolution. What Really Happened by Peter J Smith (speaker at Random Dialogues 24)

Recent research has revealed that the evolution of Apis Mellifera from social hunting wasps was a much faster process than previously thought. We reveal what really happened.

Interior scene. Late Cretaceous period. Two wasps stare gloomily at a dead millipede.

Wasp One: You know, I’m fed up eating all these creepy crawlies.

Wasp Two: Tell me about it. In fact, I’m thinking of turning vegan.

Wasp One: What? As in eating Cabbage and stuff? Sounds yucky.

Wasp Two: No, silly, I mean getting pollen to feed to the babies rather than all this (kicking the dead millipede – which, as it turned out, wasn’t quite dead). I mean look at it there are clouds of the stuff – I think I’m going to sneeze.

Wasp One: Count me in. Mind you, we need a new name. What about Veggie Wasp?

So the Veggie wasps started collecting pollen and one day two plants were talking.

Plant One: You know I’ve been thinking about these Veggie Wasps and the way they crawl all over me – gives me an idea. What if we could persuade them to take my pollen to you then I wouldn’t need to produce so much?

Plant Two: Ooh, you’re such a romantic. What about if we encouraged them with something sweet – we could call it nectar.

Plant One: Great idea. And maybe we could call them something else – what about Bees?

A few years later some other plants got talking.

Plant One: Those plants are doing well with those bee thingies. I think I’d like some of that. I think I’ll make my own nectar but make it sweeter.

Plant Two:. Hmm, Well I think I’ll advertise mine with some pretty colours.

Plant Three: Well, I’m going to smell nice. That should bring them in.

And just like that the world filled with flowers and bees (22,000 of them) and all sorts of different pollinators and one day some bees got talking.

Bee One: You know, this is getting to be hard work. It was our idea, but everybody’s copying it.

Bee Two: Tell me about it. And every year when the flowers die we die as well and have to start from scratch in the spring. 

Bee One: What if we stayed awake through winter – that would give us a head start over the other bees and things.

Bee Two: Now you’re cooking on gas. We’ll need some food to see us through. I know, we could use that nectar stuff if we could find a way to store it. 

Bee Three: Coolio. We’ll need to convert it from a disaccharide to monosaccharides but I think I’ve got an enzyme we could use. We’ll need to reduce the moisture content as well though. Then we could call it something different. What about Nectar Jam?

Bee One: Great, so we could be Nectar Jam Bees. We’ll need more Nectar Jam Bees though – I reckon about 60,000 should do. We’ll all need to muck in though.

Bee One: But who’s going to lay all the eggs? We’ll be far too busy. And who’ s going to volunteer to spend all day having babies?

So the bees went to the BR (Bee Resources) department to talk over the problem. BR called in one of the new bees to discuss a proposition..

BR Bee: I’d like to present you with an amazing opportunity. How would you to be our Nectar Jam Bee Chief Egg Layer.

New Bee:  Have I got idiot tattooed on my thorax? That’s the worst job in the world. Who wants to lay dozens of eggs every day? 

HB Bee: (deciding not to mention that it would be more like 3,000 every day). Well, what about if you got to live 10X longer than the rest of us?

New Bee: Screw that. It just means I’ll be laying eggs for longer – it could work out to thousands.

BR Bee: (deciding not to mention that it would be more like a million) Well, we’d do all the hard work, the cleaning and tidying and feeding – you won’t need to do anything.

New Bee: Hmm, sounds a bit better. What about sex? 

BR Bee: Eh? I’m a bit busy right now. Oh right, yes, I see.

New Bee: I was thinking about lots of mating. Say ten times, no, make that twenty. And (adding hastily) with different drones, mind.

BR Bee: (smoothly) I think that could be arranged. What about title? You could choose your own title.

New Bee: Well, I do think Queen has quite a nice ring to it. I’ll do it! Ah, but what about when I get tired of laying eggs? What’s the pension like? Will I be taken care of?

BR Bee: (looking even more shifty than usual). I think I can promise you’ll be taken very good care of…

And so the Nectar Jam Bees got organised and everything was perfect until a few million years later when some strange looking apes arrived and, well, then it all began to turn to custard. But that’s another story.

🖋️More Random Diablogs from Random Dialoguists

⚡How To Grow Younger, Medicine of the Future Series Part 28 by Yvette Masure | Health is Wealth 🌱 

Health Is Wealth

Surprisingly in the many years I have used this statement, some have disagreed.

That is until I suggest; that without health, we cannot do anything of consequence, let alone earn money.

Though to, most, I am sure, it goes without saying.

However, it is only since the Covid years that I see people truly realise, and feel, grateful for good health. In the main, since then,  the overall media coverage seems to be on ill-health, with cancers and mental health issues in the fore.

It’s good to give this , and all we can,  the light of day, education being key, however sometimes I do think we need to remember we are abundant, and have in our hands abundance, that it is our birthright no less, for one and all.

So fresh air, clean water, shelter and some food each day, more than seems to be recognised.

Yea 

Everything seems to be harder to achieve than ever before, especially considering we are supposed to be a prosperous planet, in a developing world, and civilised, now.

The simple fact is that nothing can be taken for granted or even expected.

And that includes even our health when we have it.

It’s all…a work in progress🤨

Let us progress !!

#wabisabi 

Health is wealth💚🌱

Also posting on Instagram

⚡The Artist Living in the Shadows 🎨

Part 2 of an imaginary interview I had with myself » CLICK

🔚And Finally

🏁And a Bit More Finally

It was an honor to be invited to chat with Jonathan MacDonald on his show about boiled eggs and my vision for Random Dialogues - he usually charges £2,500 p/hr.

Jane