Bee-movie stars join Beckham’s craze

DAVID Beckham has embraced the latest craze buzzing across Tinseltown and built himself an apiary.

The former England and Manchester United footballer built the huge beehive at his family’s £6million Cotswolds mansion.

And no sooner had he posted pictures on his Instagram account than it was revealed a string of stars – including Brad Pitt and Leonardo

Dicaprio – are also bee-lievers.

High School Musical actor Zac Efron, 32, recently built a “bee yard”at his mansion after touring a working hive for his new Netflix travel show

Downto Earth.

He said: “Watching them work is just fascinating and strangely relaxing.

“Keeping bees is also good for the environment, so I’m hooked.”

Other stars, including Avengers actress Scarlett Johansson and veteran actor Morgan Freeman, were already big bee devotees.

And rock icon Bruce Springsteen has been raising bees on his New Jersey farm for years.

Los Angeles City Council last year passed a law allowing residents to keep beehives, providing they provide an outdoor water source for the honey-makers.

Wooden starter hives can cost as little as £115.

Giant concrete ones that can hold as many as 60,000 bees can be custommade for around £800 each.

Once Uponatime In Hollywood star Pitt, 56, has reportedly installed a dozen of these on his estate in the suburb of Los Feliz, where he has been staying throughout California’s extended pandemic lockdown. A friend said: “Alongside art and architecture, beekeeping has quickly become a passion and he has spare protective suits so he can show guests around his hives. He’s really proud of them.”

Experts reckon amateurs can easily handle up to a dozen hives on their own but a full-time beekeeper can manage as many as 400.

And Brad has his eye on the honey. The friend added: “He’s been talking about trying to put his honey into shops. But to do it he’d need full-time staff – and a lot more hives.”