So they both store data in a table like structure, but that’s about where the similarities end. Excel is useful for handling smaller more flexible data sets, but has performance, scalibility, storage, and structural deficiencies compared to SQL, it’s also harder for computer languages to communicate with a shared excel dataset and modify it vs SQL.

One of the major issues with excel as a database is data limits, excel only allows for ~1 million rows. Considering there are ~1 billion possible SSNs, excel would not be a great medium for them for that reason alone.

One big advantage of SQL is you need to structure your data on the creation of the table and it’s designed with the expectation that all data will fit a structure, including unique keys, format, and other limits and structures. This allows you to enforce database rules easily and massively reduce storage size and query times.

There are a bunch of other reasons for using SQL but most of it boils down to either it’s faster, easier for multiple computers to access and read/modify simultaneously, or better for enforcing rules and structures when modifying it.

What changed? I thought that is still what they did.

I think its more the first line of defense, they are not there to kill, they are there to basically state I don’t want you here without provoking a lethal response from whoever is encroaching on them. It causes a lot less death of their males since they are known that they are not a threat, reducing the overall attrition of them over time and making life easier on the hive. The females with the stingers come out if something is a real threat, ie something messes with the hive or queen.

Honestly, kinda reminds me of British (and other non-militarized) police. Don’t send guns to every problem as most can be solved without it and some are made worse by their presence.