The esteemed American actor Morgan Freeman has converted his 50 hectare Mississippi ranch into a sanctuary for bees, in an effort to help counter their decreasing population. The sanctuary consists of 26 large beehives where Freeman feeds the bees sugar water to spur their growth, and has planted bee-friendly trees and plants such as clover, lavender and magnolia. He has no intention of harvesting honey or disrupting the bees in any way. It seems as if the bees sense his good intentions as they have not yet stung him even though he never wears a bee suit or hat!

The decline of bee colonies is mainly due to the excessive use of pesticides and insect resistant genetically modified crops (GMOs). If the decimation of the bee population continues it could lead to a number of serious ecological and agricultural problems. Bees play a key role in pollinating many of the plants that end up on our dinner tables. As Mr Freeman explains, “People do not realise that they are the foundation of the growth of the planet… the key to our vegetation.”