Bee People

This amusing curiosity is a fun documentary that more closely resembles a reality TV show than a serious exploration of bee colony collapse disorder. Although the opening minutes of filmmaker David G. Knappe's Bee People investigates the alarming disappearance of honeybees around the world, the film soon finds its true purpose in tracking the adventures of one Gregg “Bee Guru” McMahan, who works with a small team to extract enormous colonies of bees from the walls of old barns and other structures. McMahan and his colleagues are busy bees, removing tens of thousands of the endangered insects and “rescuing” them for safe delivery to beekeepers. Along the way, vast quantities of honey are accumulated (and enjoyed), and the principal members soon become ersatz stars who we see teasing one another, flirting with an attractive female homeowner, and even interacting with a noisy pet pig. DVD extras include the bonus featurette “Extracting Honey.” An entertaining watch for armchair beekeepers and fans of reality TV shows, this solid companion to films such as Vanishing of the Bees (VL-5/11), Queen of the Sun (VL-1/12), and More Than Honey (VL-1/14) is recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)