They are the cupid for plants. Pollinate me, baby! And off they go to the next blossom. Like no other insect, bees keep Mother Nature’s sex life up and running and with it the machinery of the food industry. A large part of our fruit and vegetables wouldn’t even exist without the bees’ busy contribution. However, the buzz of this wondrous animal is growing more and more quiet. The dying of bees is a real threat. Luckily, more and more start-ups and projects are trying to stop this scary phenomenon. A few days ago, a film popped into our heads that was already in the cinemas in 2012, but hasn’t lost any of its topicality and explosiveness. „More than Honey“ just won’t leave us alone any more. The award-winning documentary by von Markus Imhoof searches for the causes of the mysterious mass mortality and paints a melancholy picture. Spectacular close-ups take us into the inside of a bee hive and let us experience the nuptial flight of a bee in mid-air. The film shows the beauty of these highly intelligent animals and tells us about their impressive social structures. It displays the results of globalised and industrialised farming and what humans do to bees in order to generate more profit. „That’s the sound of money“, a Californian beekeeper with a large apiary comments on the insistent buzzing of his bee colonies. He travels across the states with his migratory worker bees to pollinate almond, apple or cherry trees. As needed. Stuffed with antibiotics in order to withstand the stresses and strains. Pesticides, mite pests and stress also endanger the survival of the woolly little animals. In the end, it’s the sum of it all that is leading to colony collapses, says Imhoof: “The bees are dying from humans turning wild bees into compliant pets, turning wolves into incapable poodles.” If you haven’t seen this documentary, you should catch up on it asap on the streaming service of your choice. „More than Honey“ is a tale of bees with powerful images that leave us feeling disturbed. Surely no picnic.
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More than Honey | morethanhoney.ch | Trailer | Photo: Esterer und Horn