The Bees and the Hornets Go to Court

The bees and the hornets were in dispute, because both claimed that they were owners of the honey in a honeycomb. Since they simply could not come to an agreement, they all ended up in the court-room. There, the judge, a wasp, found it impossible to decide who was in the right.

There were witnesses who declared that they had seen black and yellow insects going in and out of the comb, but this testimony did nothing to clarify the situation, as both bees and hornets are black and yellow insects. The wasp was obliged to make further enquiries and ask many questions. It seemed that the proceedings would go on for ever until the Queen Bee finally lost her patience.

The longer this goes on,' she said to the judge, 'the more time and money is lost to us. We are not able to work, so meanwhile our honey is going bad in the comb. I propose a quick solution: both of the bees and the hornets shall build another honey comb. Whoever builds the best honeycomb in the shortest time shall be declared owners of the comb.'

Naturally, the hornets, who cannot build honeycombs, did not accept this proposal......and from this the wasp deduced immediately that the honeycomb could belong only to the bees.