"This is an obsolete and inefficient operation you have here, Your Highness."
    "Just what do you mean, Mr. Fliegle?" asked the queen.
    "First of all, you've got way too many workers.  Second, your production processes are antiquated.  And then there're your communications.  What's all that dancing stuff about, anyway?"
    "That's the way we've communicated the location of pollen sources since time immemorial."
    "Well, these days we have cell phones and the internet, Queen Bea," said Fliegle.
    "But we've made honey this way for thousands of years!  Why should we change now?"
    "So, 'That's the way we've always done it,' eh?  That's the number one entry in the Book of Famous Last Words!"
    "Well, how about, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it?'" suggested the queen.
    "No no no," said Mr. Fliegle.  "Now, it's 'If it ain't broke, hire a consultant to fix it before it breaks!'  You've got to be proactive!"
    "You do?" asked Queen Bea.  "I still don't understand why we ought to change anything when everything is fine."
    "Yeah, sure.  And now you're losing market share to saccharin and Nutrasweet!" said Fliegle.  "Anyway, how else are we supposed to get our hands on your money?"
    "Well, put that way, I just don't know," admitted Queen Bea.  "What do you suggest?"
    "First, get rid of all those drones!  They consume resources without producing anything."
    "I, uh, like the drones," blushed Queen Bea.
    "Waste of resources!" repeated Fliegle.  "If you want a date, advertise on the Internet, like everyone else!  Then, there are all those workers."
    "What about them?" asked Queen Bea.
    "There are too many of them!  You can lay off 50% of them.  Slash those operating expenses!  Then lose that stupid dancing routine.  Get yourself a web site where you can post all your pollen sightings."
    "How are we supposed to do all this?" asked the queen.
    "With Neat New Technology!" burbled Fliegle.  "That's where we come in!  My company has a package we can sell you for just a bezillion bucks."
    "Package?  What kind of package?"
    "A Sweet Substance Producing package," said Fliegle affably.  "We developed it for maple trees.  We call it 'MapleMagic.'"
    "Maple trees!?" gasped Queen Bea.  "That won't work for us!"
    "Honey, maple syrup.  What's the difference?" cajoled Fliegle.  "Of course, it will have to be customized.  That will only cost you another bezillion bucks.  But it will more than pay for itself in operating efficiencies and higher production."

Some months later ...

    "Mr. Fliegle?  This is Queen Bea."
    "Hey, glad to see you using your cell phone," said Fliegle.  "How can I help you?"
    "We're having trouble with MapleMagic," said the queen.
    "Opportunities!" corrected Fliegle.  "We never say 'trouble.'  Now, what kind of opportunities do we have?"
    "Those darned leaves you attached to the hive aren't working!" complained Queen Bea.  "That's what kind of 'opportunities!'  They keep falling off or blowing away!  Then something in the manufacturing system, which we don't understand, breaks down, and it takes forever and a bundle to fix it!"
    "The system does produce honey, doesn't it?" asked Fliegle.
    "Uh, in a manner of speaking," said Queen Bea.
    "Well, there you go, then!"
    "It's just a trickle compared to what we used to produce," carped the queen.  "And it tastes like maple syrup.  Yuk!  But that isn't all.  You said we'd need fewer workers than before, but guess what?  We need more!  I had to rehire all the worker bees I laid off.  Some of them had already gone to other hives.  Others were hacked off at me and either wouldn't come back or don't work as hard.  Then I had to bring the drones back to help out with the work.  They aren't good at it.  In desperation, I've hired some ant contractors.  They can keep a really straight line, but other than that..."
    "Relax, Your Highness," cajoled Fliegle.  "We can do an upgrade for you for just, oh, ..."
    "A bezillion bucks," finished the queen.
    "No.  Two," corrected Fliegle.

Some more months later ...

    "I sure like these nature walks, Mom.  Say, look!  There's a bee hive!"
    "Oh, that can't be a bee hive, Billy!  It's all shriveled up, and it has ... leaves on it."
    "Let's take a closer look," suggested Billy with the enthusiasm of a 9-year-old.
    "Oh, ok," agreed his mother.  "Hmm.  Looks like it was a bee hive once.  But there're no bees in it now.  There does seem to be a bit of honey left, though."
    She dipped her finger in the honey and had a taste.
    "Odd," she continued.  "It has a funny taste to it.  Can't quite place it ...  Well, we have to go home now."
    "Aw, why?" crabbed Billy.
    "I have to get ready for a meeting with some consultants," explained his mother.  "Fliegle & Company.  It seems our computer systems are out of date, and they have some Neat New Technology to make them cheaper and more modern.  Not to mention cooler."
    "Don't they work now?" asked Billy.  "You always say, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"
    "I know," she said, "but the consultants say that doesn't work in this modern, technological world.  I guess they know what's best."