human
We know what remarkable things bees are, when it comes to telling one another what they know. Is there any reason why such an experience--all natural enough--shouldn't demonstrate to them that they, by merely threatening a man, could compel him to kill ants for them?
gpt
Even to cultivating flowers for their benefit, she conceded.
human
It's quite possible.
gpt
I always understood that a bee's stinging apparatus is good for only one attack. Doesn't it always remain behind after stinging?
human
Yes, from the doctor, quietly.
gpt
That is true. The sting has tiny barbs on its tip, and these cause it to remain in the wound. The sting is actually torn away from the bee when it flies away. It never grows another. That is why, in fact, the bee never stings except as a last resort, when it thinks it's a question of self-defense.
human
Just what I thought! chuckled Smith.
gpt
A bee is helpless without its sting! If so, how can you account for anything like a soldier bee?