Most of my stories have come to be (sorry!) when two or more unrelated stimuli collide and interact. With Bee Futures it was more a case of a bunch of related stimuli stinging each other.

In the past I have conducted horizon-scanning studies for technology companies. Autonomous micro-drones were one of the many emerging technologies that caught my attention. Not surprisingly, the designs and prototypes drew inspiration from nature. Intriguingly, some research scientists were exploring whether insect-sized drones might replace natural insects for pollination tasks…

Then consider the ongoing catastrophic decline in bee colonies, which many scientists believe is caused by the use of potentially dangerous (to bees) agrochemicals…

Then consider the existing tensions between technology-driven and ethically-compliant modes of agriculture…

Then consider who would be the farmers in the future when so many present-day farmers are giving up, for one reason or another…

Then consider how corporate policies and consumer preferences can drive counter-productive behaviours…

That list comprises the set of factors and drivers that Bee Futures sprang from. The first version of this slice of absurdist SF – which I hoped would be somewhat in the John Sladek mode – took a single afternoon to write. My writers’ group (One Step Beyond) demanded that I radically improve the ending. Hopefully I succeeded.

Bee Futures was published in Nature Journal’s ‘Futures’ series in 2013. it It has since been reprinted by The Singularity magazine, also by Szortal (Polish translation) and Reaktor (Estonian translation), and podcast by Manawaker Studio. If you’d like to read it, it’s free on the Nature Futures website, or you can find it in my Sons of the Earth ebook.