The tale of Buster Bumblebee

In Short

First published in 1918, this charming children's story follows Buster Bumblebee, an easygoing drone living in a underground meadow nest built by a field mouse. Handsome in his black-and-yellow velvet suit, Buster shuns all hard work, preferring to spend his days sleeping late, snacking on clover, and misinterpreting the world around him. Across twenty-three short chapters, his misguided attempts to avoid early-morning noise, find a home of his own, and attend a mysterious "raising bee" reveal the quiet humor of nature. It endures as a gentle, witty study in youthful innocence and insect ecology.

The Story

The tale opens in Pleasant Valley, where a colony of over two hundred bumblebees has moved into an abandoned underground burrow formerly owned by Mrs. Field Mouse. While the tireless female workers labor endlessly to gather honey before the onset of cold weather, Buster Bumblebee enjoys a life of complete idleness. As a drone and a queen's son, Buster considers himself a gentleman who shouldn't have to work. His chief grievance is the colony's trumpeter, a worker who wakes the entire nest at three or four in the morning. When Buster tries to reason with her, she scoffs at his laziness and reveals that she is actually his sister.

Seeking a way to sleep late, Buster consults Jasper Jay and old Mr. Crow. Mr. Crow suggests stuffing his ears with cotton, but since cotton only grows far to the south, he advises Buster to either go to bed early or set back the family clock. Learning the family has no clock, Buster tries going to bed at sundown, but trouble follows. When Johnnie Green gets stung by workers, the boy retaliates by placing a water jug over the burrow's entrance, accidentally trapping Buster and several others in a terrifying ordeal that ends with the sun drying their chilled bodies.

Buster's adventures continue as he attempts to build his own home to escape the crowded nest. Encouraged by Mrs. Ladybug, he approaches Whiteface the Carpenter Bee to construct a house for him. Before the Carpenter Bee can finish, Johnnie Green captures him and keeps him on the farmhouse porch in a glass honey box. Buster tries to help set his friend free, but two visiting city boys capture Buster too. When they take Buster into the clover patch in another honey box, the boy drops the box on a rock and forgets it. Buster promptly claims the dropped box as his new house, throwing a "house-warming" party so hot that three guests nearly suffer sunstroke.

Later, Jimmy Rabbit tricks Buster into attending a "raising bee" at Farmer Green's place. Expecting to see a strange new species of insect, Buster flies to the farmyard only to discover human neighbors helping Farmer Green raise the heavy wooden framework for a new barn. After observing a boy named Bill overeat at the feast, Buster follows the crowd into the carriage-house, where he misinterprets the squeak of fiddles playing a tune called "The Bumblebee in the Pumpkin." Thinking the bee is trapped inside the fiddle or a nearby pumpkin, Buster investigates frantically until Jimmy Rabbit later explains that a "bee" can mean a neighborly work gathering. Satisfied with his new knowledge, Buster returns to his easygoing life.

How It Unfolds

The trouble with mornings Disturbed by the nest's trumpeter at four in the morning, Buster seeks advice from Chirpy Cricket and old Mr. Crow on how to get more sleep.

The water jug trap After Johnnie Green is stung by meadow workers, he caps the burrow with a jug, causing a terrifying flood that leaves Buster and his kin half-drowned until the sun dries them.

The Robber Fly scare Buster boasts of his bravery, but when worker Peevish Peggy warns him about the terrifying Robber Fly, a sudden scuffle teaches him to keep his head down.

An artisan in the woods Wishing to escape the crowded underground nest, Buster tries to hire Whiteface the Carpenter Bee to build him a custom house.

Trapped in glass When Johnnie Green captures the Carpenter Bee, Buster travels to the farmhouse porch, only to be captured himself by visiting city boys who do not realize drones cannot sting.

The house-warming party Accidentally freed when a boy drops his honey box on a rock, Buster claims the glass box as his home and hosts a disastrously hot party for his meadow neighbors.

The misunderstanding at the barn Misled by Jimmy Rabbit into hunting for a rare insect called a "raising bee," Buster attends Farmer Green's barn-raising, ultimately learning the true meaning of the word.

The People

• Buster Bumblebee: A handsome, velvet-clad drone who wants nothing more than to eat sweet clover, sleep late, and lead a life of leisure. Too thick-skinned to take offense at insults and too clumsy to fight, his harmless vanity and naive curiosity lead him through every predicament.
• The Trumpeter: A sharp-tongued worker bee who rouses the burrow at dawn with her blaring horn. She desires absolute efficiency for the hive, despises Buster's laziness, and takes immense pleasure in reminding him that despite her low status as a laborer, she is also a queen's daughter and his sister.
• Whiteface the Carpenter Bee: A mild-mannered, dust-covered woodworker who wants to be left alone to finish his home addition. Courteous to a fault, he gets captured by Johnnie Green before he can build Buster's house.
• Jimmy Rabbit: A clever, mischievous neighbor who spends his mornings nibbling lettuce in Farmer Green's garden. He enjoys playing mild pranks on the gullible Buster, sending him off on wild goose chases while dispensing seemingly wise advice.
• Johnnie Green: The farmer's inquisitive son, whose impulsive antics with water jugs and glass boxes constantly create unintended chaos for the meadow's tiny inhabitants.

In Its Own Voice

"Small!" Aunt Polly exclaimed, lifting both her hands (with the black mitts on them) high in the air. "They say it's a dreadful big family--at least two hundred of 'em, so I've been told."

Aunt Polly Woodchuck shares the gossip regarding the immense insect family that moved into Mrs. Field Mouse's former underground burrow.

"I've always claimed that there's no peacefuller person than I am in this whole neighborhood. So here we are, quarreling already!"

Whiteface the Carpenter Bee gently protests when Buster Bumblebee tries to hire him to construct a custom house.

"Farmer Green's friends raised the timbers for the barn. And that's why it's called a raising bee. Any helpful, neighborly gathering like that is known as a bee--though you may not be aware of that fact."

Jimmy Rabbit explains the human concept of a cooperative gathering to a thoroughly bewildered Buster.

What It's Really About

Beneath its simple animal antics, the story explores the contrast between community labor and individual leisure. The insect world is depicted as a strict, survival-driven society where every worker must contribute to the collective good before winter arrives. Buster represents the outsider who exists entirely outside this work ethic. Through his humorous misunderstandings of human terms like "raising bee" and "house-warming," the book gently satirizes human social customs through the innocent eyes of nature. It also weaves genuine natural history into its narrative, teaching readers about insect anatomy, defensive behaviors, and the distinct roles of workers and drones.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate classic, gentle anthropomorphic tales like Beatrix Potter's stories or The Wind in the Willows will find much to enjoy here. The prose is clear, rhythmic, and rich with understated comedy that appeals to both young children and adults reading aloud. It captures a nostalgic, pastoral atmosphere where the greatest dangers are dropped water jugs or a sudden afternoon heatwave.

The book moves at a light, episodic pace across twenty-three brief chapters, making it ideal for short reading sessions. While modern readers should note the story's mild, period-typical episodic structure and occasionally whimsical logic, these elements only add to its vintage charm. The natural history details—such as the fact that male bumblebees lack stings—are woven naturally into the plot. It leaves the reader with a cozy, sunlit picture of the natural world, where even the most useless, blundering character finds a comfortable place in the meadow.

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