King of the Bees : The Life of Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth - A Screenplay

Written in dramatic screenplay format, KING OF THE BEES tells the story of Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, a 19th century minister and beekeeper, known today as the "Father of American Beekeeping." Lorenzo suffers both physically and mentally from a terrifying undiagnosed ailment he calls "head troubles." Graduated from Yale College, he becomes an ordained minister, then leaves the pulpit due to his debilitating illness. He marries Anne Tucker, a loving, determined young woman who becomes the pivotal force in his life. To help take his mind off his ailment, Lorenzo takes up beekeeping. Believing that God has chosen him to save bees from destruction, he discovers the principle of "bee space," the secret of the hive that has eluded beekeepers since Aristotle. He utilizes the principle of "bee space" in every inside dimension of a radical new hive of his own design--the top-opening, movable-frame beehive, still in wide use today. He obtains a patent for his hive, yet, due to the Civil War and to his gentle, altruistic nature, fails to protect his patent. Ever practical, Anne is more concerned with Lorenzo's patent than he is, and, in fact, she is the protagonist of the story to Lorenzo's antagonist. Lorenzo imports the Italian honeybee, a more prolific honey producer than the American black bee, making honey production profitable for the first time. Finally, he writes and publishes "Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey Bee," securing his place in history as the "Father of American Beekeeping." None of his great achievements would ever have been possible, however, without the fierce love, devotion, and determination of his wife Anne, who forces Lorenzo to continue working until he fulfills his destiny. KING OF THE BEES is a dramatic, historical-fiction account of Lorenzo and Anne's inspirational real-life struggle to overcome Lorenzo's terrifying illness, discover the secret of the hive, and create a radical new hive that allows honey to be harvested without killing bees.