Morgan Freeman turns his 124-acre ranch into bee sanctuary—others join to fight massive die-offs

[anamandujano]

Apparently he did this several years ago but they are running it today at Kos. I didn't know so I was glad to read it. I don't use pesticides in my yard but all my neighbors do. 10 years ago I had hundreds of bees. Now I see one or two a day.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/12/1581035/-Actor-activist-Morgan-Freeman-turns-his-124-acre-ranch-into-bee-sanctuary-to-fight-massive-die-offs

[Foggyhill]

1. I just love that man, good within all this madness

[Raine]

2. What a great guy, such a wonderful thing to do! nt

[Javaman]

3. In other news...

Morgan Freeman Honey coming to a supermarket near you.

I'd buy it.

[anamandujano]

4. The article said he doesn't collect the honey and that they know he's just around to tend to

their needs so they don't sting him. He doesn't even wear a bee hat.

[Javaman]

8. they will sting him...

I kept bees for 6 years.

don't believe the press release.

and on edit: he will have to collect the honey or get someone to do it for him.

what happens is they produce to much, the hives leak and attract predators.

if you don't do that, you have to keep adding more boxes with frames and foundations so the bees can expand.

if you don't, they will split the hive and they will leave. The remaining bees tend to be weaker. You then have to find the queen and see if she's laying eggs or if she's quasi-queen (forget the actual term), that's a worker that's been turned into a queen and doesn't lay eggs properly and will screw up the hive and eventually kill it. (not the quasi-queen but the hive)

Also, a good bee keep inspects the hive and rotates the frames. Inspections take place about every two weeks. you have to pull the frames and inspect laying and developmental patterns.

such as: if the hive is developing more queens for a swarm and if they egg laying patterns are correct. Incorrect patterns is a sign of problems within the hive.

you also do that to look for signs of mites and wax moths to name two things that can destroy hives. Once either invade the hives, depending on how extensive the damage, you may have to burn the hives. you can't reuse them.

bee keeping is just that, you have to look after them if you want them to be healthy and live well.

just letting the hives do whatever they want is being a completely irresponsible bee keeper and will do more harm to the bees in the long run than good.

just the facts.

[anamandujano]

9. He works a lot and that's a big ranch. He probably has people who do most of the work.

I know close to nothing about bees. When one of them buzzes around me I say, "Leave me alone. Who do you think planted this stuff? Why don't you go pollinate something."

[philosslayer]

5. A nice gesture, but....

He's apparently trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/07/23/call-off-the-bee-pocalypse-u-s-honeybee-colonies-hit-a-20-year-high/

[LanternWaste]

6. Or more accurately, a problem which is interpreted in numerous ways.

Or more accurately, a problem which is interpreted in numerous ways.

[anamandujano]

7. "So if CCD is wiping out close to a third of all honeybee colonies a year,

how are their numbers rising? One word: Beekeepers."