A few days ago, the world bee day was held. We wanted to come back on the project of the actor Morgan Freeman to save the bees. A hero on and off the screen.
The beginnings as a beekeeper
It was in 2014 during an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, that the actor had declared to have become a “beekeeper”. Indeed, bees are of crucial importance for the environment. They allow the pollination, that is to say the reproduction of plants, flowers … Nearly 80% of plant species. This allows the perpetuation of many plant species, birds and mammals.
However, these pollinating insects have been disappearing for decades. And it has a name: the colony collapse disorder.
Over the last twenty years, bee mortality has increased considerably, from 5% to 30%.
The project of Morgan Freeman is to get involved in the ecology. He chose to save the lives of many bees by adopting hives on his personal ranch. A ranch that he transforms into a “sanctuary”.
At the time of his announcement on the set, he had just adopted his first bees two weeks before. Since then, he has 26 hives on his ranch. All from Arkansas.
Of course, he took the time to create a favorable habitat for the bees: flowers and plants such as clovers, lavender or magnolias were planted.
From Hollywood to bee sanctuary: A beekeeper like no other
For the traditional side of beekeeping, we will not forget. The actor says he does not want to grow honey, nectar or wax. He opted for a water and sugar based diet. He also wished to put aside the white protective outfit and feed his bees in an outfit or hat. Apparently the actor would not have had any sting by acting in this way with these 26 hives.
We let you discover an extract of his passage.
If you too would like to take a step in the fight against colony collapse disorder, you can adopt a hive on untoitforbees. If you are lucky enough to have a green space, don’t hesitate to plant flowers and create a garden hive.
