Now, we all know how busy bees are, but did you know, that recently there had been a problem with lazy bees, who instead of pollinating flowers, helping plants grow, helping produce food and keeping the cycle of life turning, they just spent their time, lazy about in the sun and sleeping. They didn't even help with the making of honey, which the bees need over the winter months, it's their way of storing food, to eat over these months. The lazy bees did nothing to help, but were first in line, to eat the honey, which made the other bees very angry and they complained to the Queen bee.

You may be surprised to know but while flying, a bee beats their wings 11,400 times a minute, they even beat their wings, when they are in the hive, this helps regulate the temperature in the hive. Yes, you guessed it, everyone except the lazy bees, who just stroll into the hive looking for honey. As each day passed, the working bees were getting more and more angry, with the lazy bees. As they worked, the lazy bees, just slept or lazed about in the sun, watching the other bees working. It was the busiest time for the bees, being summer and because of the lazy bees, the rest of the bees had to work harder.

The chief bee in charge of honey production had watched for days, the way the lazy bees were not working, so he decided that he would teach them a lesson. He had a lock put on the door to the honey store and he carried the key around with him, making sure when the door was opened, only the working bees were able to have the honey.

At first the lazy bees didn't mind, but after a few days, they were hungry, they were not prepared to work and gather pollen and nectar, they wanted honey from the store, but it was under lock and key. "Why can't we have honey," they moaned to the chief bee of the honey. The chief replied, "when you gather pollen and nectar, that is your food for now and then in the winter you can share the honey, no work, no honey."

For the next week, the working bees continued to work, while the lazy bees lazed about in the sun, but the sun was disappearing earlier each day. The working bees were never more busier, trying to do their work collecting pollen and nectar and keeping the life cycle turning. Bees feed both on pollen and nectar, the nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. Most of the pollen is used as food by the bees, but they also transfer it from one plant to another, providing the pollination needed by plants and nature as a whole.

One day the clever bee came to the Queen Bee, very excited and was carrying all his books. "I think I have a plan that will get the lazy bees back to work." The Queen Bee looked at him and replied, " Tell me about your plan." The clever bee told the Queen Bee and as he told her, she nodded in agreement and every so often she smiled and was heard to giggle a couple of times. Once he had finished, the Queen Bee thought for a moment, giggled a bit more and said "yes, I do believe that will work, please put it into action straight away." The clever bee was very pleased the Queen Bee liked it and went away to put the plan into action.

Next day, the clever bee had put his plan into action, on the far side of the field, there was a couple of abandoned hives and these were central to his plan. He held meetings all day, telling all the bees, the lazy bees were going to be given those abandoned hives and they could do as they wished. The rest of the bees would continue to work and stay in their current hives, the only rule was, that the lazy bees would no longer be permitted to enter the other hives. The lazy bees thought they had beaten the Queen bee and the other bees.

The clever bee had told the Queen Bee, the plan would take about 3 - 5 days to work, but it would work, the Queen Bee had placed security bees at the entrance of all the hives, to stop the lazy bees sneaking in and stealing the honey that wasn't locked away in the honey store. The lazy bees on the first 2 days, had a wonderful time, sleeping and just lazy about, but by day 3 things began to change, firstly it was starting to get cold and this made the lazy bees hungry, secondly they were missing mixing with the other bees, as bees are very sociable insects.

By day 5, they had enough and asked very politely if they could speak to the Queen Bee. She agreed and they talked for over an hour, she told them, even she loved sleeping in the sun, but there was work to do and they all had responsibilities to nature and the planet, that they all had to work together. At the end of the meeting, they agreed to start work immediately, the Queen Bee said she would allow them back into the other hives, once she could see they meant what they said.

For the next 6 weeks, every single bee worked really hard to catch up, the lazy bees, who were no longer lazy, worked the hardest. After 3 days the Queen Bee let the lazy bees back into the normal hives. The lazy bees had learnt their lesson, they realised, that if everyone worked together, everyone could have time to relax.