Bees have a unique defense mechanism where they can sting humans but die in the process, which James the engine initially dismisses as a 'bizarre flaw' but later learns is a natural biological trade-off that allows bees to protect their hives effectively.
Deep Dive
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Deep Dive
[The Railway Shorts] Bees KneesAdded:
Long after the storm had cleared up, James was helping repair the branch line.
He was passing by the orchard when he saw Trevor next to little white boxes.
Hello Trevor. You look as bright and cheerful as my red paint.
Oh well, indeed I am.
What's that noise?
Oh, that's the biggest bees. They make lots of good sweet honey. He's planning to give his friends some as well.
Well, after he gets some of his bees back from Tidmouth, that is.
Just then, BoCo hummed along by.
Be careful, you two.
You don't want the bees stinging you now.
James couldn't see the funny side of it.
Oh, what is that diesel on about?
Bees are no worry to an engine.
Hm.
Much more quieter around here without the twins.
Oh, tell me about it.
I actually called them the bees.
Oh yeah, fitting.
Fussy, buzzy sort of things they are.
Just then, James interrupted.
Talking about the bees again, BoCo?
Oh, I wouldn't care if there were a million trillion bees all around me.
I would just hiss steam and they'd buzz off.
Listen to me, Bruce. Don't listen to that silly old green box about bees.
What was that all about?
I uh I don't know.
Later one evening at Tidmouth, a guard was trying to wheel out one of the beehives.
James was puffing by, but he forgot to sound off his whistle.
When he saw the trolley, he tried his best to stop.
But then he let off steam and blasted it right in the guard's face.
It was greatly annoying, especially to the bees.
Hearing the angry bees, the people on the platform cleared out, even James' fireman and driver.
Leaving James all alone with a box of angry bees.
The little bee fought James, burned him on purpose.
He was very angry.
I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY MY WORLD.
>> [screaming] >> CRYING ALONE ALONE [music] ALONE ALONE.
Crying alone alone alone. Don't come any closer.
No. What are you?
Bitter the cold the cold the [music] cold the cold. Bitter the cold the cold the cold the cold. Bitter the cold the cold the cold THE COLD IS ALL THAT I know. So I'm going to be completely honest with you, Trevor. I I have no idea what happened back there.
It probably just thought you were going to hurt it, James.
Thankfully, it couldn't sting you.
Or else it well, would have died.
Why would anyone make a bug that can sting you, but dies in the process?
Seems like a bizarre flaw.
The world works in mysterious ways, James.
Well, I suppose I was right in the first place.
No buzzy old thing can ever hurt me.
Although James learned literally nothing from any of this.
It was a fun joke and everyone had a laugh and that was all that mattered in the end.
Even BoCo couldn't hold a straight face while telling the story.
He found the idea of James hitting the bee's knees too funny of a story not to tell.
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