Political Story of the Year

Jesse Walker | August 24, 2007

"Mounties chase rebel bees after hive coup":

Mounties in eastern Canada were called in to help round up rogue honeybees after a palace coup this week caused a split in the hive, a spokesperson said on Thursday....

Beekeeper Rodney Dillinger said the colony was likely "stressed" and became dissatisfied with their queen. So, they raised a rival queen and then sent the original queen into exile.

But half of the hive left with the deposed queen to "look for a new home"....

According to reports, the swarm has been mistaken for a bear in a tree and a dark cloud in flight.

Once located, Dillinger said the queen bee would be placed in a bee box to start a new hive, with the swarm expected to follow. "We haven't found them yet. But I know which direction they went," he said.

Submitted for your discussion: Is it appropriate for the Mounties to intervene in bee politics? Do other bugs recognize a right of secession? And when's the last time you mistook anything for a "dark cloud in flight"?

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|8.24.07 @ 10:02AM|#

So would this be a honey-less coup?

Bee hives routinely split like this when their population grows beyound what the local area can support. A good bee keeper would have a few spare nesting sites on his property already set up for the inevitable split.

If the lost bees are dangerous to bystanders, than I could see government agents nullifying that threat. If it's just a matter of recovering lost property, I say let the bee keeper pay for his own neglect.

Edward|8.24.07 @ 10:03AM|#

And when's the last time you mistook anything for a "dark cloud in flight"?

The last time I saw Ron Paul speaking to supporters.

Episiarch|8.24.07 @ 10:10AM|#

Damn, Edward, don't reach so hard...you might pull something.

As for the story, what the hell else do mounties have to do anyway? They might as well help out.

|8.24.07 @ 10:15AM|#

Episiarch,

As for the story, what the hell else do mounties have to do anyway?

Apparently, the Mounties figured out that singing "O' Canada" has calming effect on bees similar to smoke.

|8.24.07 @ 10:18AM|#

So in the context of a bee colony, is the Queen more correctly said to be playing the role of the dictator/leader of a government or the role of the CEO of a honeymaking factory?

robc|8.24.07 @ 10:19AM|#

All I know is that if we support the coup, then it justifies the old Queen seizing property and shutting down coup supporting buzzing stations.

|8.24.07 @ 10:22AM|#

A hive, divided against itself, cannot stand.

"...the swarm has been mistaken for a bear in a tree and a dark cloud in flight"

by who, Mr. Magoo?

|8.24.07 @ 10:24AM|#

Winnie the Pooh knows the difference between a rain cloud and swarm of bees.

Episiarch|8.24.07 @ 10:26AM|#

Apparently, the Mounties figured out that singing "O' Canada" has calming effect on bees similar to smoke.

Since it has the same effect on humans, I guess that's a reasonable leap in logic.

Zing! No offence, Canadians.

|8.24.07 @ 10:29AM|#

Splittin' the hive's workin' up my appetite
stinger's buzzin' for a little afternoon delight.
honeybees and mounties makes the sparks ingite
and the thought of a new queen is getting so exciting.

Dark clouds in flight. Afternoon delight.

|8.24.07 @ 10:32AM|#

Is it appropriate for the Mounties to intervene in bee politics?

Why even pose the question when the automatic libertarian answer is always a resounding and resolute, "NO!" followed by (pick one)...

1. "If the market wants the problem solved, it can solve the problem itself. The beekeeper should solicit investors to pony up funds to secure people to chase after the bees."

2. "Why should taxpayers have to solve the beekeeper's problem? His failure to properly anticipate the dissension amongst his bees is not our problem. If he had established a bee population using free market principles to begin with, he wouldn't be in this pickle."

3. "By using public funds to intervene in the well-being of either the source of honey or of pollination agents for the farming community, the government is artificially influencing the cost-to-market of food that requires that people who either don't like honey or vegetables are forced to bear against their will."

Libertarians - like Mounties - are sometimes a silly folk.

|8.24.07 @ 10:40AM|#

They must have heard about the latest HFCS research and are trying to ramp up honey production.

|8.24.07 @ 10:43AM|#

Oh, great. Now if the new Queen sucks, she can just whip out the Mountie Card to generate support among the bees who might otherwise side against her.

If those bees want to secede, it's their right. Of course, the imperialist Kanadians would never allow them to exercise their rights as Anthropods.

|8.24.07 @ 10:47AM|#

"Our country reeks of trees
Our yaks are really large..."

Sing along!

|8.24.07 @ 10:51AM|#

"I'm just a little black rain cloud
Hovering under the honey tree
I'm only a little black rain cloud
pay no attention to little me"

Edward | August 15, 2007, 11:18am | #

"...Moulitsas-one of the savviest and most impactful political operators of this young century-thinks there's strength in associating his party with libertarianism."

He doesn't fucking think there's strength in associating his party with libertarianism, you knucklehead. He's using "libertarian" in a normal, non-lunatic-sectarian sense of socially liberal. If you inform most intelligent people of the extemist positions Reason's brand of libertainism takes, they roll their eyes and back away.

This is my absolutely final contribution to this psychopathic forum. Please ban me.

Liar.

|8.24.07 @ 10:52AM|#

...and they smell like rotting beef carcasses.

Seriously, I can't find this story on Canadian news sites. Anybody found it elsewhere?

(The dateline is Ottawa, but we haven't seen swarms of bees near Parliament Hill lately!)

libertreee|8.24.07 @ 10:56AM|#

Mad pad completely overlooked one libertarian POV-

The reason that the Mounties (police) are involved is a tragedy of the commons, that is a problem with all publically provided goods. Since these goods (and services) are considered "free", the demand for them is unlimited.

Hence, police and firemen pulling cats out of trees, while robberies occur on the other side of town. (Inspector Clouseau harrasing the monkey grinder over his license, while the bank is robbed).

The only way to solve a tragedy of the commons is to privatize the commons. Only when specific duties are paid for will externalities be internalized.

Jesse Walker|8.24.07 @ 10:59AM|#

Seriously, I can't find this story on Canadian news sites. Anybody found it elsewhere?

It's mentioned in passing in this Globe and Mail story, and has been picked up elsewhere.

|8.24.07 @ 11:02AM|#

...and we have to clean up aaaaaa-fter them...

Clouless|8.24.07 @ 11:02AM|#

Zis is not my minkey.

|8.24.07 @ 11:09AM|#

To think of all the times I've referred to the RCMP as "sons of b's"...

|8.24.07 @ 11:11AM|#

The Mounties are interesting...

While they are the elite FBI / Scotland Yard style police force of Canada, they are also the equivalent of state troopers in the Canadian territories.

So an RCMP officer, can either be a highly trained elite police officer, or some country bumpkin patroling a rural route in some backwoods area. When someone says they are a Mounty, you don't know if they are Jack Bauer, or Roscoe P Coltrane.

It would be like if the FBI, in addition to their current duties, also acted as the highway patrol in Arkansaw, Alabama, and Alaska.

|8.24.07 @ 11:21AM|#

If you inform most intelligent people of the extemist positions Reason's brand of libertainism takes, they roll their eyes and back away.

Edward thinks that most people have an emotional and dismissive reaction towards the more radical forms of libertarianism? I've never heard of such a thing!

Chuck|8.24.07 @ 11:36AM|#

I saw several dark clouds in flight just yesterday afternoon, a couple of hours after my Taco Bell lunch.

|8.24.07 @ 11:49AM|#

If you inform most intelligent people of the extemist positions Reason's brand of libertainism takes, they roll their eyes and back away.

Yes, but if you draw their attention to Radley Balko's writings about SWAT raids, or Jacob Sullum's criticism of the drug war, or Ron Paul's statements about Iraq, they will nod their heads either vigorously or thoughtfully.

Like most radicals - and I mean that in the most complimentary sense - Reason-style libertarians are much better at diagnosis than prescription.

|8.24.07 @ 12:22PM|#

So in the context of a bee colony, is the Queen more correctly said to be playing the role of the dictator/leader of a government or the role of the CEO of a honeymaking factory?

Neither. Because of the genetics of social insects (unlike most animals, siblings are more closely related to each other than to their parents) the so-called queen is actually more like a slave than a leader or controller, though that view is subject to some flexibility.

T|8.24.07 @ 1:56PM|#

Meh. Canadians deserve whatever fates befall them, even if it does include revolt amongst the insect slaves.

It would be like if the FBI, in addition to their current duties, also acted as the highway patrol in Arkansaw

You mean when I get stopped there by the FBI, thise aren't really FBI agents? Hmm. I may have to consult an attorney licensed to practice in Arkansaw.

|8.24.07 @ 2:04PM|#

Arkansaw was one of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen.

This maniac was drugging people and chaining them to objects in small towns near Little Rock. They had to either cut off their own limbs, or they would be forced to remain in Arkansas.

Chilling.

|8.24.07 @ 2:22PM|#

Beekeeper Rodney Dillinger

gets no respect from him bees.

Paul|8.24.07 @ 4:24PM|#

Doesn't matter. If it was done by popular vote, then it's legit. Even if the queen dissolves parliament, removes term limits and suspends voting (temporarily)

BTS|8.24.07 @ 4:52PM|#

Hopefully a honey bee John Locke will arise soon and lay the framework for the bees from the newly discovered hive 34a. to throw off the taxation oppression of hive 34. Give it a couple hundred years, and we'll hopefully have a bee Aaron Burr stinging a bee Alexander Hamilton.

|8.24.07 @ 7:10PM|#

I wonder what the bee dance for "let's start a bloodless coup" would look like.

miche|8.24.07 @ 8:28PM|#

I thought the bees disappeared.

|8.24.07 @ 10:17PM|#

Like most radicals - and I mean that in the most complimentary sense - Reason-style libertarians are much better at diagnosis than prescription.

Yeah, everyone knows "Just leave people the fuck alone unless they're hurting someone else" is just batshit crazy.

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