This documentary, directed by David G. Knappe, is filled with passionate and dedicated individuals who care greatly about bees, in particular honeybees, and want to pass along their knowledge and help educate the rest of us on the importance of bees and beekeeping. Set mostly in various Colorado cities, except for a jaunt to New York City and New Jersey, the film is hosted by the amiable Gregg McMahon, aka "The Bee Guru".
The viewer is taken to what's known as a "bee rescue", where Gregg and several bee enthusiasts extract a bee colony from a home where the colony swarmed uninvited into, and brought them to mix with another hive in what they call a "bee marriage". I personally found this process rather fascinating, and learned that despite protective suits, the beekeepers will inevitable be stung and just consider that "it comes with the territory".
In the documentary, we meet many everyday citizens who have become backyard beekeepers, including a remarkable eleven-year-old (Tate Douglas). Many of the beekeepers make jars of honey from the colonies' output, as well as bread and even honey vodka.
There's also many factoids to be learned here, especially that honeybees have been on the Earth for over 100 million years, but that as you may have seen on the news they are disappearing at an alarming rate and no one seems to know why exactly. Also, that the bees account for the pollination of about one third of our food supply, so they're obviously vital to our well being. Additionally, I learned that 95% of the bees in the hives are female and live only 3-4 weeks in the summer, while the queens live on an average 3-5 years.
All in all, I thought the movie was enhanced by presenting it in a congenial and homespun manner. Knowing little about honeybees beforehand, it was also informative for me and I learned quite a lot.
The viewer is taken to what's known as a "bee rescue", where Gregg and several bee enthusiasts extract a bee colony from a home where the colony swarmed uninvited into, and brought them to mix with another hive in what they call a "bee marriage". I personally found this process rather fascinating, and learned that despite protective suits, the beekeepers will inevitable be stung and just consider that "it comes with the territory".
In the documentary, we meet many everyday citizens who have become backyard beekeepers, including a remarkable eleven-year-old (Tate Douglas). Many of the beekeepers make jars of honey from the colonies' output, as well as bread and even honey vodka.
There's also many factoids to be learned here, especially that honeybees have been on the Earth for over 100 million years, but that as you may have seen on the news they are disappearing at an alarming rate and no one seems to know why exactly. Also, that the bees account for the pollination of about one third of our food supply, so they're obviously vital to our well being. Additionally, I learned that 95% of the bees in the hives are female and live only 3-4 weeks in the summer, while the queens live on an average 3-5 years.
All in all, I thought the movie was enhanced by presenting it in a congenial and homespun manner. Knowing little about honeybees beforehand, it was also informative for me and I learned quite a lot.
