In an effort to address the declining bee population in the world, Morgan Freeman, the Academy Award winning actor, has over the last five years, converted a 124 acre ranch he owns in Mississippi into a honeybee sanctuary.
Honey bees are essential to the farming industry in the US. According the American Beekeeping Federation, bees are responsible for pollinating over $20 Billion in crops each year. The bee population has been declining over recent years. Scientist attribute most of the decline to the increase use of pesticides.
In an appearance on Jimmy Fallon Freeman said:
“There’s a concerted effort to bring bees back onto the planet. We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation,”
On his experience with the bees:
“They haven’t [stung me] yet, because right now I’m not trying to harvest honey or anything,” he added. “I’m just feeding them… I think they understand, ‘Hey, don’t bother this guy, he’s got sugar water here.’”