Hollywood Beekeeping: Four Celebrities Show Us Why Bees Matter

It’s no secret that bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. Colony Collapse Disorder, climate change, and pesticides have been named as prime culprits.

The US Fish and Wildlife service placed seven species of bees on the endangered species list in September, marking the first time ever that bees have received legal protection in America.

Should the insects become extinct, many plants and animals are likely to follow, leading to sweeping changes in the way we live.

“Mankind will not survive the honeybees’ disappearance for more than four years,” Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, though whether he actually said this is debatable.

One thing is for sure: If bees disappear, our food supply will suffer—and honey won’t be the only food to vanish. Our meals will no longer be as Instagrammable as many varieties of fruits and vegetables dissipate. We’ll also have to give up our vices for coffee and chocolate.

If this news seems dark, well, it is. But there’s a positive side to publicizing the plight of the bee. People are taking action, including one way close to home: urban beekeeping.

Backyard beekeeping is anything but new. The link between notable people and bees goes all the way back to Aristotle, and in more modern times, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Sylvia Plath were all known as friends of bees.

Today, you might be surprised to know that some of Hollywood’s most recognizable names are avid beekeepers. Here are a few celebrities who have dabbled in beekeeping:

Four Famous Celebrity Beekeepers

Morgan Freeman

The actor converted his 124-acre ranch in Mississippi into a refuge for bees, creating a home for hundreds of thousands of insects.

"There's a concerted effort to bring bees back onto the planet,” Freeman said in a Toronto Sun article. “We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation.”

Flea

The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist has more than 180,000 bees in his apiary, and he documents his adventures in beekeeping on social media.

His concern for the environment and love for bees compelled him to take up the hobby, Rolling Stone reports.

Leonardo DiCaprio

The actor was introduced to beekeeping by his mother’s boyfriend, and he reportedly took it up as a way to relieve stress before awards season.

"David is a beekeeper in his spare time and told Leo it’s a great way to get lost in your own world,” a source told the Mirror. “Leo gave it a go and loved it. Now he has even built a few hives for his garden in Los Angeles. Beekeeping has helped take his mind off all the awards chat and has kept him chilled out.”

Scarlett Johansson

"Scarlett was always talking about how the bees were dying and the planet was going to die," actor Samuel L. Jackson told the Independent.

So he bought her a beehive as a wedding gift when she married actor Ryan Reynolds in 2009.

Does a beehive in your backyard sound appealing to you? Share your thoughts in the comments and learn more about the benefits here.