Cockroach’s Judgment
A F DAWOOD
(This story is based on the assumption that the insects possessed the
faculty of speech. Facts related to insects were culled from internet
and encyclopedia)
A beehive was on top of a jak tree, there was a colony of bees of
about 45,000 in it; the female bees are the worker bees and their daily
routine was to visit flowers to collect nectar. While feeding on the
nectar of flowers, the female worker bees store nectar in a special part
of their stomach and during digestive process enzyme is added to convert
nectar to honey, which has become a delicious food for people from time
immemorial.
There are about 20,000 species of bees found all over the world
except in Antarctica. The female bees of these species have to visit
about two million flowers to make one pound of honey and fly about
90,000 miles. On one such occasion when the bees visited flowers in a
densely vegetated area, they saw a number of colourful butterflies
sucking nectar from flowers. The bees thought that all the flowers are
exclusively for them and they did not know that insects like butterflies
and mosquitoes feed on the nectar of flowers.
 So the bees protested against this.
“What're you all doing here sitting on the flowers?” One female bee
questioned the butterflies.
“We're having a meal of nectar,” Replied a big multi-coloured
butterfly.
“Don't you know, bee that we butterflies feed on the nectar of
flowers.” “Let this be the last day”, the bee replied angrily, “from
tomorrow don't come to feed on flowers; flowers are meant for us to make
honey.” All the other butterflies were frightened when a swarm of bees
hovered round their group leader, and watched the argument.
“Tell me, bee on what should we live, if there's no nectar for us.”
“I'm telling, you butterflies need not visit flowers; go round
looking for rotten fruits and feed on the juice of these fruits and
animal dung.”
“You threaten us because we're defenseless insects. Did you tell the
mosquitoes not to visit flowers?” Questioned the big multi-coloured
butterfly. “Mosquitoes don't visit flowers, they get their food by
sucking the blood of human beings.”
“No, no, you're wrong; mosquitoes not only feed on the blood of
animals and humans, but also on nectar of flowers and plant juice.”
At this stage the female worker bees were enraged and began to attack
the innocent butterflies with their stinger; some of them stung the
butterflies and the frightened butterflies flew away.
As a result the bees that attacked the butterflies died because
according to mother Nature, the bees die once they sting. All the
harassed butterflies flew back to their colony and complained to the
Leader of the butterfly colony.
“Oh! Leader, now we've to starve; bees won't allow us to feed on the
nectar of flowers.”
The butterfly Leader was puzzled and in a quandary. The Leader went
to meet the Queen of the bee colony. There is only one Queen in a bee
colony of 45,000 bees and her primary task is to lay eggs. The male bees
are called drones and their only duty is to mate with the Queen and once
they mate they die. They do not sting because they do not possess
stingers and they do not forage food because their mouth piece is short.
The butterfly Leader spoke to the drones.
“I've come to meet your Queen.”
“What's your purpose?” Asked the drones at the entrance of the hive.
“I've to sort out a problem with your Queen.”
After sometime the Queen bee came to the entrance of the hive while
the Leader butterfly was perched on a branch close to the bee hive.
”Good day to you, butterfly. What brings you here?”
“I'm complaining against your worker bees.” The Leader butterfly
replied.
”Your worker bees have chased the members of my colony when they were
feeding on the nectar of flowers.”
”Look here Leader butterfly, mother Nature has entrusted a
responsibility with us to make honey. Our bee population is fast
increasing. As the Queen bee I lay 2500 eggs per day, at the rate of
five or six a minute. This means 175,000 to 200,000 eggs are laid per
year. When you consider this number, the nectar in the flowers is not
sufficient to feed all the bees.” The Queen bee explained and looked at
the Leader butterfly.
”Are you telling us butterflies to starve?”
”You butterflies need not starve; you all do not make honey. So
instead of visiting flowers why don't you all feed on rotting fruit
juice and animal dung?”
The Leader butterfly was not happy with this reply.
”Your're making honey for people; people have various kinds of food.
How nicely the birds in the jungle co-exist. They share the fruits and
grains among themselves-parrots, mynahs, sparrows, crows, pigeons and
paddy birds. No single variety of birds has claimed ownership of fruits
and grains. But you bees think you're the owners of all the flowers.”
”Nature has designed us to make honey. It's our duty; that's why
we've to visit 225,000 flowers per day. As the Queen bee my life span is
two to three years and a worker bee's life span is about six weeks; and
do you know an average honey bee can make only one twelfth of a tea
spoon of honey during its life time?”
”You talk of your duty”, the Leader butterfly replied, ”Even we've a
duty to do by mother Nature. We've to pollinate the flowers.”
”My word is final authority. Butterflies should keep away from
flowers, if not you're quoting for trouble.” The Queen bee replied.
Finally, the matter was brought before the king of insects, Lord
Cockroach. Cockroaches are among the oldest living insects and about
3,500 species of cockroaches are identified and the most notable
varieties are those that infest households in temperate regions.
This is why cockroaches have become rulers in the insect world. The
King cockroach summoned all the insects for a common discussion and then
to give a ruling on the conflict between the butterflies and the bees.
Butterflies, bees, mosquitoes and ants were present at the discussion.
”All you insects”, began the King cockroach, “must live peacefully;
look how the different kinds of birds share the fruits and grains in the
jungle. Why do the honey bees chase the poor butterflies?”
”Because we've to make honey for people.” Replied the Queen bee.
”Do you know as insects we're all contributing for the betterment of
the people?” The King cockroach raised the question. “The honey bee
produce honey and wax which people use; silk worm larva are made use of
to make silk; butterflies and numerous other insects help in pollination
for the fertilization of flowers to bear fruits.
Without the insects there would be no fruits and berries. Today there
are cotton, linen, silk, tea, coffee and chocolate in the world because
of insects and man benefits from all the insects.” Then the King
cockroach looked at the mosquitoes. A Chief mosquito asked the question.
“What's the contribution made by grass-hoppers and caterpillars?”
“They're eaten as food by people in underdeveloped countries.
Do you know insects like European blister beetle or Spanish fly and
even my kind play a very important role in biological laboratory; the
juice of these insects are extracted to make medicine to fight against
human disease.” “So man needs us and we don't need them.” The Leader
butterfly said. “Man is selfish; he benefits from insects and still he
kills them.
That's why we mosquitoes trouble them with Dengue, Malaria and
Filaria.” The Chief mosquito remarked.
“Even people burn ant holes; that's why we bite them.” The Leader ant
said.
”Not only you, man kills us too.” Said the King cockroach. “So we
hide during the daytime and come out in the night to feed.”
”On what do you feed, oh! King?” The Leader butterfly respectfully
asked.
”On plant and animal product, dead insects, also paper and clothing.
There are 3,500 species among us but we don't fight for food.”
”So what's your ruling, oh! King?” The Queen bee asked at the same
time paying her respect to the King cockroach.
”As insects we must be proud to be of service to mankind in many
ways, although people are selfish. All the insects should co-exist
peacefully. Therefore, I order that the Queen bee should allow the
butterflies to feed on the nectar of flowers.”
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