The Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck. Short summary

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A philosophical essay in which the author talks about the life of bees, the hierarchy in the hive, the division of duties, and tries to draw parallels between human and bee society.

1 minute

A philosophical essay in which the author talks about the life of bees and tries to draw parallels between human and bee society. Bees live in a hive, some of them gathered by collecting pollen, others by the structure of the honeycomb.

Each honeycomb is shaped like a regular hexagon. They are arranged at a certain angle, which is calculated to the minute. This precise construction helps to maintain the architecture of the structure.

There is a certain hierarchy among the bees. There are insects masons, feeders, cleaners, guards, and gravediggers. Individual bees are engaged in cutting proper semicircles out of petals. These are then made into boxes to serve as a cradle. Other inhabitants of the hive line their bedchambers with poppy shreds.

Of all the queens, only one survives. The first princess released from the cocoon begins to destroy her competitors. The worker bees are constantly engaged in collecting pollen. They do not rest, so instead of several years they live only for 1 season.