Morgan Freeman has donated his land to honeybees to help stave off a looming disaster. America’s favorite narrator is hoping to tell a new story for the world’s waning honeybee population by giving them his 124 acres of land to live on. The 81-year-old actor took up beekeeping as a hobby in 2014 and converted his Mississippi ranch into a bee sanctuary. He brought in 26 bee hives from Arkansas and planted acre upon acre of bee-attracting vegetation including magnolia trees, lavender, and clover.
Talk about dedication! Freeman even fed the bees sugar water himself as they adjusted to their new home. And get this—he’s never been stung, despite his lack of a protective suit or hat. That’s a level of chill most of us can only dream of. Freeman doesn’t harvest the bees’ honey or disrupt their hives. His goal is straightforward: to help repopulate the dying honeybee population.
So, what’s buzzing behind Freeman’s motivation? According to him, it’s all about helping to rebuild “the foundation of the growth of the planet.” He elaborated on this noble cause during a 2016 interview on Larry King Live. “There has been a frightening loss in bee colonies, particularly in this country,” he told King. “To such an extent that scientists are now saying ‘This is dangerous.’” A round of applause for clarity, folks!
In 2014, just after moving the hives to his ranch, Freeman also opened up about his beekeeping hobby on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “There is a concerted effort for bringing bees back onto the planet,” he said. “We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation…”
Time for a reality check: Humans rely on honeybees and other insects to pollinate our crops. If pollinators die off, our food supply will suffer. The chain reaction of losing the bee population could be, and let’s not sugarcoat it, devastating for life as we know it.
And why, you might ask, are the bees dying? There are multiple culprits here, and many point directly to human disruption. Last year, a survey conducted by Auburn University and the University of Maryland revealed that U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of their honeybee colonies in the previous year—a 33% increase from the year before. Talk about alarming!
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been affecting certain bee species for the past decade or so. Scientists have come up with a buffet of possible causes, including environmental stressors, insecticides, lack of genetic diversity in colonies, and mites that infest colonies. It’s like a tragic soap opera, and the bees are the star-crossed victims.
Climate change is another suspect on the list, according to researchers who conducted the survey. Geoffrey Williams, an assistant professor at Auburn, told Bloomberg, “Changes in climate and weather affect food and forage for bees. It’s pretty obvious that if you have bees already on the edge and you have a radical, quick weather shift, they aren’t going to do as well.” For the bees, the weather report isn’t just another forecast; it’s a survival guide.
And let’s not forget pesticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides, commonly used in agricultural areas, are like slow poison for bees. They kill bees and inhibit their ability to reproduce. Scientists point out that these pesticides are especially harmful to queen bees, affecting bee populations over time. The message is clear: toxic pesticide, bad news for bees—and us.
Kudos to Freeman for creating a healthy haven for honeybees. Environmental responsibility is a collective duty, and each act of preservation helps. It’s a reminder that we all have a role to play in protecting our planet.
