Carr’s Queen Catastrophe: A Sticky Situation at Cedar Snag Farm

Mayor “Backdoor” Joe Carr prided himself on many things — his ability to navigate backroom deals, his knack for creative financial acrobatics,ability to stir up an issue where non existed and, of course, his legendary beekeeping skills. But lately, it seemed his attention was divided. Running Rutherford County was taking its toll, and his once-thriving hives were suffering.

“Mayor, we’ve got a problem,” said one of his farmhands, eyeing a hive with concern.

“Not now,” Carr grumbled, flipping through his latest legal defense paperwork. “Just throw some sugar water at ’em or whatever.”

“Sir… it’s not that simple. You’ve been neglecting your queens. And a hive without a queen — “

“Dies or flies away. Yeah, yeah, I know how it works,” Carr waved dismissively. “I just haven’t had time to… service them properly.”

The farmhand winced. “Uh… right. Well, that’s the issue. They’ve gone queenless. If you don’t handle it, they’ll collapse, or worse, go looking for another hive that can manage its queen.”

Carr sighed, rubbing his temples. “Look, I used to have a firm grip on my queens, okay? I gave them all the attention they needed. But being county mayor, I just can’t get into the hives as often as I used to.”

The farmhand coughed. “I… I see. Well, unfortunately, sir, the worker bees don’t seem to appreciate your absence. Some of them have already buzzed off to find a more capable keeper.”

Carr scoffed. “Typical. I bet it’s some outsider with a fancy new hive setup, promising them stability and — wait, are you saying my own bees are turning against me?”

The farmhand shrugged. “Bees recognize leadership, sir. And, well… the way things are going, they might be petitioning for a new head of the hive.”

Carr’s face turned red. “I am the head of the hive!”

“Well, sir, nature has its own way of handling… failed leadership. If a hive senses a weak ruler, they’ll make sure a new one rises up.”

Carr huffed. “Fine, fine. I’ll go check on the queens. Maybe I can make them happy and smooth things over.”

The farmhand hesitated. “Uh, about that… You don’t have any left.”

“What?!”

“They’re gone, sir. Either left on their own or got replaced while you weren’t looking.”

Carr stared in horror at his now-leaderless hives. “So you’re telling me I lost control because I failed to properly service my queens?”

“Yep,” the farmhand nodded. “Looks like your stinger’s been yanked and you’ve been… dethroned.”

Carr sighed. “Guess I’ll have to start over with some new queens.”

“That’s an option,” the farmhand said. “But you might wanna consider a different approach. This time, try actually taking care of them.”

Carr groaned. “Beekeeping used to be so much easier before I got into politics.”

The farmhand chuckled. “Well, sir, keeping a hive happy takes effort. Whether it’s bees or voters, if you ignore them too long, they’ll swarm right out from under you.”

Carr muttered under his breath, trudging off to figure out how to salvage what was left of his operation. But deep down, he knew the truth — when you fail to service your queens, sooner or later, they’ll find someone who will or can.

The Moral of the Story:

A leader who neglects his hive shouldn’t be surprised when he gets stung. 🐝 😏