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the Apis mellifera, which were imported into the country en masse because they were more docile and better producers than the North African intermissa, their bad-tempered local cousins, who had never encountered the parasite.
Sidi’s hives, which had also been infected, survived on their own. Bolstered by the introduction of wild queens, they hadn’t succumbed. His bees knew how to defend themselves against the Varroa at every stage of their development, and, to do so, showed their savage side. They had inherited a sense of smell once lost through servile domestication and could recognize the odor of parasitic nymphs, which they would then tear apart before expelling the contaminated alveoli. And if they detected an enemy astride an adult bee, they immediately set to get rid of it. Joining forces, the bees would rip
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Sidi had noticed him among the others of his species because his eyes contained a gentleness absent in the gazes of many men, starting with the one who sold him the donkey. Staka never balked at his tasks, though he went at his own rhythm, which worked out well, since Sidi was never in a hurry. And when, after a hard day of service, Sidi placed a sugar cube in the palm of his hand to reward him, Staka would inhale it instantly. His nostrils would quiver, and his thick lips would shake as if he were laughing.
“What you lose in strength, you gain in clear-sightedness. The trick is to reach the age of wisdom while you’re still strong enough to do things.”
The art of breeding queens lies in making the worker bees think that their empress has disappeared. Panic-stricken upon sensing her absence from the hive, they rapidly breed new queens. They feed a dozen larvae royal jelly, the ultimate honey, a rare substance created solely for this grand occasion. Though a worker bee will make an entire spoonful of honey in her lifetime, she will produce no more than a bead of royal jelly, and that only when necessary. Any larva fed on royal jelly becomes a queen. When several contenders emerge from their opercula, they fight for supremacy of the colony
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Sidi filled his smoker with wet leaves
Son,’ answered the poor man, ‘God blesses the man of good deeds, and men bless the man of many sheep!’
The university is in danger, like many places where the mind shines. Yesterday we feared amnesia and abandonment; today we dread fire and destruction. Now they’re telling us how to talk and dress, but soon they’ll tell us how to think. What will be on the agenda for tomorrow?
The university library was losing its luster, though it was still one of the school’s remaining gems. Dust covered many of its shelves, and often a visitor in search of information would feel like they were excavating a tomb. Despite this fossilized atmosphere and need for renovations, Sidi saw books glinting in the library aisles and felt as if he were beneath the vault of a starry sky, built of words, atop columns of ink and paper. Here was the divinity of man; here was his true temple.
Their hives are particularly vulnerable. Only Japanese bees, the Apis mellifera japonica, have succeeded in developing an effective defense technique, called the ardent swarm. Refer to appendix.’”
Tahar read: “‘The ardent swarm is a defense developed by the Apis mellifera japonica against attacks by giant hornets. When the japonica detect the presence of a scout intending to mark their hive, they encircle it by the hundreds; they then close in, forming a ball with their bodies, the hornet at its center. They begin to collectively vibrate, wing against wing, and bring the ball’s temperature up to 113° Fahrenheit. This temperature is fatal for the giant hornet. Bees, however, can survive temperatures up to 118°. The japonica are the only bees known to exploit this defensive trait. Once
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traces of pheromones and resume work.’”
At the library exit, Sidi bent over to kiss his hosts’ hands in gratitude. They hurriedly stood him back up and reversed positions. His ignorance was theirs as well. Without him, they never would have known.
He explained: “Because they come up against so many parasites, bees develop different defense techniques. When confronted by a parasite that it’s never encountered, a hive may be vulnerable. But by introducing a foreign queen, familiar with the parasite’s dangers, and used to defending herself, the beekeeper assures the transmission of appropriate behavior to new generations of bees.” Jannet grasped the significance. “That’s genetic transmission!”
Tahar smiled in the dark. She was starting to maneuver, making a strong argument right out the gate. A prophetic dream. Whenever she wanted to embark on a risky undertaking, she slept, woke up, and then explained to him that the saint had blessed her and recommended she do this or that. He couldn’t help but tease her. He was a logical man and didn’t believe in superstitions. In his mind, if these dreams were real, they were merely his wife’s unconscious taking over from her conscious desires. And if they came true, it was thanks to her tenacity rather than their prophetic nature.
In the seventeenth century, in the city of Kushiro on the island of Hokkaido, two samurais on leave ran into each other during the spring festival. They were old friends who had lost touch because they served different masters and were both overjoyed at their reunion. They enjoyed the celebration together, having such a grand time that they promised each other they would return on the same occasion the following year. When spring came, one of the samurais, unable to make the trip in time, unsheathed his katana and performed hara-kiri. His ghost appeared to his friend in the city of Kushiro
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“Here, strong collective choices were made. Life first! The last nuclear power plant will be closed within a year.” “Here, weak collective choices were made. Death prowls everywhere, among men and insects alike.”
Douda was taken aback. What fate could you promise a child brought into a world of grenades and submachine guns?
