Absolutely fascinating article. I'm really glad that HN contains the occasional non-tech related story. It seems somewhat obvious how an engineering mindset transfers very well to other disciplines, and unbeknownst to me, beekeeping is one of them.
I like learning about the details of a new field, and I like to hear about issues facing beginners, but this article seemed somewhat pretentious and naïve. I'm all for admitting and learning from mistakes, but not making them into some Shakepearian drama (loyalty, death, duels). The whole tie-in with literature seemed formulaic, not to mention strained, as if it were an assignment for a writing class. I felt this story would've been better served with a straight-up blog-like narrative--just the facts. Not every story belongs in the New Yorker.
And now blogs are the gold standard for 'just the facts, ma'am'?
I quite liked the prose and the way it was written. Regardless, it was extremely well written and taught many of us non-bee keepers something new.