The Honeybee and the Farm (2)
The morning was filled with an endlessly blue sky.
"You all know we're heading out for community service today, right? Everyone, get on the bus waiting at the front gate!"
For American high school students preparing for college, community service is essential. American universities don't just value an applicant's academic grades; they place great importance on leadership, social responsibility, and contributions to the local community. Furthermore, a certain number of hours of community service is a graduation requirement.
On top of that, if you're aiming for a specific university or major, having experience in community service—which serves as an opportunity to experience the field firsthand and build connections with professionals and peers—makes a massive difference during the admissions process.
Therefore, it was only natural for any normal high school student who cared even a tiny bit about their future to participate in community service, no matter how tedious or difficult it might be.
In that sense, the fact that Jacob, who had shown hostility toward Asians from the very first class, was following along without a word of complaint proved that he was at least a decent kid at his core.
"Hmph! Guess you'll be seeing an almond farm for the first time, huh?"
Even though he was still holding a grudge from being put in his place earlier and was trying to pick a fight.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I've probably seen more of them than you have."
"What did you say?"
"Why don't you quietly review what you've learned? Unless you want to get scolded by Mr. Miller like last time?"
"......"
Seeing him open his book on the bus just because he was told to study, maybe he isn't a bad kid by nature? Man, he's kind of cute, isn't he?
At that moment, an attractive female voice drifted from behind me.
"Do you know a lot about almonds, too?"
The owner of the voice was Chloe. She’d been showing a lot of interest in me lately, likely to gain an edge in our cherry competition. I didn't even turn around, keeping my eyes on the window as I replied.
"A little?"
"I heard you weren't interested in farming before? So why did you join our club only now?"
"I was planning on doing tax or accounting before. I just had a change of heart."
"Oh... that's fascinating. Even the guys at our farm didn't mention the hints you gave."
"That's not because I'm amazing, it's because the guys at your farm don't pay much attention to scientific approaches. Or maybe they just left you alone to figure it out yourself."
"You think so?"
"..."
I didn't answer, focusing instead on how to maximize the farm's profits. It takes about 4 to 6 months to complete the vinegar, which would mean the winery would have to sit idle for at least 6 months. If I bring in cherries during that time to make wine, I could run the winery for those 6 months and produce roughly a thousand bottles of cherry wine.
Since a bottle of Napa Valley cherry wine goes for about 35 to 45 dollars, if the timing is right and the results turn out as I planned, the profit margin would be 4 to 5 times the investment.
Of course, this assumes that Chloe wins and I get to bring in a ton of cherries at a low price; if she loses, I’d have to give up on the cherry-based profits.
Since I didn't say anything, Chloe naturally closed her mouth, and we arrived at the almond farm about an hour later.
Passing the farm entrance, we were greeted by an endless expanse of almond trees. It wasn't the season for them to bloom yet, so we couldn't see the white blossoms, but the sight of the trees standing in rows across such a vast space was a spectacle no matter how many times I saw it.
After we got off the bus, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the farm owner approached, tipping his hat in greeting.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jeffrey Holland. You kids look like you've got some potential."
Jeffrey, who looked to be in his mid-to-late 50s, was a typical American farmer with rugged work clothes and skin tanned by the sun. He looked at the dozens of Agriscience Club students with a satisfied expression and said,
"The work you'll be doing today isn't particularly difficult. First, when we operate the tree shaker, you need to remove small branches or fallen debris from under the trees and clear the area so branches don't get caught in the binders or chains. Second, you just need to gather the almonds that have fallen to the ground using forks or rakes and put them into baskets."
The Tree Shaker is a piece of mechanical equipment used in nut orchards for efficient harvesting, primarily used for almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts.
At this, Jacob raised his hand high.
"Can I try operating the tree shaker?"
It was clearly a brainless thing to say, but the reason he could say something so fearless was, unexpectedly, because heavy equipment operated on American farms can sometimes be used without a license.
"Nope!"
As expected, the farmer wasn't a fool; he drew a line in the sand with a charismatic refusal, and Jacob wore a disappointed expression.
The students then split into groups to explore the farm and began their volunteer work. I ended up in a group with Chloe, Jaden—who had dreadlocks—and the brainless Jacob, and we started the task of picking up fallen almonds.
Honestly, being in the same group as Chloe or Jacob was uncomfortable, but for some reason, Chloe stuck by my side the whole time, and Jacob had been picking fights for no reason only to end up stuck in the same group.
"California almonds are the best in the world. Does your country even grow almonds? Where did you say you were from? China? Japan? North Korea?"
"That was so childish I momentarily thought I’d regressed to elementary school. If this is your level even now, how on earth did you tease your friends in elementary school? Was it something like, 'He pooped his pants! Hahaha!'?"
"...... I used my fists instead of my mouth. Want me to use them here, too?"
Honestly, looking at Jacob's build, there isn't a person alive who wouldn't be intimidated. His face looks like Brock Lesnar's, and when he gets angry, his face turns red—isn't he basically a monster?
"Stop it, Jacob!"
Unexpectedly, Chloe stepped in and shouted. Jacob flinched at the command of the school queen and shut his mouth. For a guy, he sure is...
Sweeping up the almonds that fell along the path where the tree shaker had passed wasn't that difficult. Since it was volunteer work for students, the tree shaker wasn't moving very fast to begin with.
After working for about an hour, our clothes were damp with sweat, and the conversation slowly faded away. After all, you need stamina to pick fights.
Just as I was checking my wristwatch, wondering when this would end, I spotted something on the ground and bent over.
"What is it?"
Chloe approached first.
"You think I *want* to work without a break? These immigrant bastards are just lazy..."
Jacob, intimidated by Chloe's sharp glare, shut his mouth, and Jaden also approached and asked,
"What's up? Huh? Is that a bee?"
"A bee? You're making a fuss over just a bee?"
Jacob spoke as if he were still displeased, but I didn't even listen, picking up the dead bee with my hand.
"There must be a beehive nearby..."
"A beehive?"
"Almond farms rely on bees. Almond trees can't self-pollinate, so without pollinators like honeybees, they can't transfer pollen and therefore can't bear fruit. So, it's not strange at all for there to be beehives on the farm."
After explaining that, I immediately started running with the bee carcass in my hand.
"Where are you going?"
Chloe asked, following behind me.
"There's something I need to ask the farm owner!"
Because the farm was ridiculously large, it took me a full 20 minutes of running to reach the warehouse where the owner was waiting.
"Huh? Brian? Why are you here?"
Mr. Miller asked with wide eyes as the kids arrived one by one behind me, gasping for air.
"The bees... they were dead. Do you happen to know where the beehives are?"
"Bees? Oh, you found them."
Mr. Miller, looking at the bee I handed him, his face hardened immediately, and he turned toward Jeffrey, the farm owner, who had just stepped outside.
"Where are the hives?"
Jeffrey, his face also turning serious, stepped forward.
"Follow me."
We climbed into the pickup truck he was driving (the students rode in the back), and we traveled for about 10 minutes, feeling the warm breeze.
When we arrived, we could see dozens of beehives standing in a row, and I jumped off the truck and ran toward them. Sure enough, looking down at the entrance of the hives, I saw countless bee carcasses scattered on the ground. A significant number of them were still alive, twitching and crawling around, unable to fly.
"There are so many..."
Feeling anxious, I quickly inspected the other hives, and Mr. Miller approached my side.
"A lot of bees have died."
"This is a big problem. Did you know about this?"
Jeffrey, the owner, shook his head with a grave expression.
"Why on earth is this happening...?"
Mr. Miller patted my shoulder and said,
"As expected, Brian, you were sharp. You discovered a major problem in advance. We almost had a disaster on our hands."
Jeffrey also grabbed Wooseok's hand tightly, his face filled with genuine gratitude.
"You're a student? That's incredible. With eyes that sharp, you'll make a fine farmer. But...?"
Praise is praise, but Jeffrey, facing a bigger problem right in front of him, looked at the hives with a deeply furrowed brow. Mr. Miller picked up a handful of the dead bee carcasses and said,
"We need to investigate. As soon as possible..."
At this point, I interjected.
"Is there another farm not far from here?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
I knelt down and swiped my index finger along the front of the hive to examine it. Fine white powder was stuck to my fingertips. Then, I picked up one of the bee carcasses to examine it closely.
"It looks like Neonicotinoid, doesn't it?"
Mr. Miller, startled, stared at me intently, and Chloe, unable to contain her curiosity, asked,
"What's that?"
"A pesticide for pest control."
At my answer, everyone was shocked, and Jacob, who had been sitting by the hive—I don't know when he got there—stared at me with his mouth wide open.
"How do you know that?"
I didn't answer, asking Jeffrey again instead.
"There's a farm not far from here, right?"
"Uh... yeah, that's right."
"Where is it?"
"Silveroak."