If you want to see a nature documentary, watch Secrets of the Bees

Some people watch them continuously, others only watch the Planet Earths of this world. That’s absolutely fine, but if you want to watch a nature documentary, watch Secrets of the Bees. Unfortunately there are only two episodes in total (both available on Disney+), but the images and information are definitely worth it.

Secret of the Bees

Nowadays, bees have become the equivalent of climate change and that is quite right on the one hand, but also a shame on the other. This greatly discourages the animals as a topic of conversation. And this may also cause people to think that the documentary Secrets of the Bees will mainly tell them how to avoid certain things, how to take better care of the bees, and so on. However, that is not what this documentary is about. It is mentioned once, but in the end it is mainly about how bees live, how the ladies deal with the drones and how smart the animals are. Even if that is not that interesting to you, this documentary has something wonderful to offer, namely: the most beautiful images you have ever seen of bees. There are 20,000 species of bees and not all of them are covered, but there are some very impressive bees. Those little hairs that you see life-size on screen are phenomenal and it is therefore not surprising that James Cameron is involved in the documentary as executive producer. But also someone like Dr. Samuel Ramsey does a good job of explaining what makes bees so special. The biggest role, besides that of insects, belongs to Bertie Gregory, who works at National Geographic and who says he has photographed the most majestic creatures, but has always somewhat ignored the bee. He has clearly made up for that with this documentary, in which he talks passionately about how the bee’s life works.

How do they get those images?

Sometimes it is difficult to keep your attention, because you are mainly thinking: how did they get those images? How do you get it done? One of the people who made that happen is Alastair MacEwen, who unfortunately passed away recently. A huge loss, because the macro cinematography is extremely impressive. Most of the shots were shot with a special system that allows cameras to be moved in a 3D space to capture the bees up close. Below you can see a little more explanation about how it was filmed: Then you can pay more attention, enjoy watching!