In South America, the scientist Dr. Miller tries to change the African killer bees so that they lose their aggressiveness, while maintaining the high honey yield. When a thieving father and his son break into the enclosure with the bees to steal the honey, disaster strikes. The son is killed by bees, which enrages the local population to such an extent that they destroy the research station. In the confusion, the bees are released and turn on Dr. Miller, killing him. His wife Sandra smuggles some bees to the US so that her uncle Dr. Sigmund Hummel can continue to research the bees there. They are supported by Dr. John Norman, who has good contacts in politics and business and will develop good contacts with Sandra. Meanwhile, unscrupulous businessmen try to smuggle the killer bees into the country, which leads to disaster. A gigantic swarm causes many deaths as it moves across the US. Dr. Hummel and Dr. Norman have developed a pheromone that interferes with communication among the bees. The danger seems to be averted, but when a new breed suddenly appears, Dr. Norman realizes that bees are now the rulers of the world.

The reporting of a supposed Africanized killer bee caused a veritable hysteria among the American population in the 1970's. This was exploited by dodgy filmmakers, of course, resulting in a number of sometimes apocalyptic-tinged disaster/animal horror films. The best known may be the Warner Brothers production The Swarm, of which an extended version has even been released on DVD.  Another one is The Deadly Bees, with Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood in a small role. Also worth mentioning is the low budget TV production The Savage Bees. Two years later, a sequel even followed with Terror out of the Sky. Director, producer and screenwriter Alfredo Zacarías makes his contribution to the sub-genre with The Bees. As a small anecdote, it can be noted that Warner Brothers actually paid money to delay the theatrical release of The Bees so as not to have direct competition for their big budget epic The Swarm. Although solid in terms of craftsmanship, the film quickly slips into trash territory due to its disjointed, sometimes abstruse plot structure. Although there are enough scenes in which various people are attacked by cheaply tricked bees, these scenes never quite fit into the plot with Dr. Norman's fight against the bees properly, nor can they be used to infer the apocalyptic threat that is prophesized at the end of the film.

The emergence of the bees develops into such a threat that humanity can at best agree on co-existence, at least that is Dr. Norman's opinion. The military might have a different take on this, but the sudden appearance of the credits ends any further discussion. John Saxon gives the powerhouse Dr. Norman, who manages to get Sandra over the tragic loss of her husband surprisingly quickly by sharing not only the lab but also the bed with Dr. Norman. The viewer realizes what a great guy Dr. Norman is at the latest when the President of the United States calls him personally to thank him for his work. One of the best scenes of the film, if you think about it a bit, is the contribution this makes to the plot, while the president can be seen standing stiffly in his office. John Carradine gives the somewhat disheveled Dr. Hummel with German roots, who likes to listen to the buzzing of the bees. Furthermore, the film makes an important health contribution by presenting alternative treatments for rheumatic diseases. An elderly gentleman offers two boys two dollars if they will catch some bees for him so they can sting his leg to relieve the pain caused by rheumatism.

In Germany, CBS/Fox released the film in a shortened version on VHS. Only the plot was shortened, probably to make the film a bit more snappy. The scene in which an emissary tries to smuggle the killer bees in his belt into the US is missing, which of course ends in a death. It lacks how Dr. Hummel researches the bees and Dr. Norman meets with government representatives and unfortunately the scene with the phone call from the president. In the US, the film was released by Vinegar Syndrome on Blu-ray/DVD. Qualitatively, there is nothing to criticize about the release, only unfortunately a few scenes that were included on the German VHS are missing. You can see how the old man lures the boys to him (creepy), a few short dialogues at the meeting of the company bosses and in a longer scene, the government officials state that John wants to turn the bees into homosexuals. Why these scenes are missing is uncertain. One could assume that the scene parts were removed due to political correctness. Dialogue excesses like "Hey guys, come over here. You guys want to make some money? I've got a job for you guys.", "I'm going to transfer him to a leper ward in Bangladesh tomorrow." or "Are they saying that their substance turns reproductive bees into homosexuals?" could be viewed somewhat critically in today's world.

German label Fokus Media has unfortunately adopted the transfer from the US for a Blu-ray/DVD release in Germany/Switzerland, meaning the version is cut identically to the US Blu-ray/DVD. The note at the beginning of the film that the version is uncut is therefore incorrect. In the absence of an alternative, the US Blu-ray/DVD or the German Blu-ray/DVD is currently quite a valid alternative if you want to see the film, despite the short cuts.

The German VHS is in 1.33:1 open matte aspect ratio. In the scene when the ambulance is shown, you can briefly see a microphone hanging into the picture at the top of the frame.

Picture comparison:

German VHS:

German DVD:

Runtimes:

German DVD: 87:54 min.
German VHS: 81:44 min.

Note: Since the German VHS includes the dialogues only with German dubbing, we translated them verbatim to the best of our knowledge. They may vary a little in their original, English form.

Comparison between the US VHS by Warner and the German DVD by Fokus Media.

[00:10:15][00:00:00]

After the "Alfredo Zacharias presents", the bees can be seen a little earlier.

DVD: 7 secs.


[00:34:52][00:25:08]

After John, Sandra and Dr. Hummel leave the restaurant, the DVD shows the following scenes.

In South America, a man is led to Julio to negotiate a deal with him.

Woman: "Julio! Julio Caesar! There's someone here to see you!"
Julio: "Hello."
Man: "Julio! Julio Caesar! I have news for you! And money!"
Julio: "What kind of news? And how much?"
Man: "How about a vacation in the US? My company will pay all the expenses!"
Julio: "You better not be kidding, man!"
Man: "I'm not! It's all taken care of!"

In the next scene, a plane is shown making an emergency landing.

Announcer: "Mexico City control tower to Flight 5842. Permission granted for emergency landing! Hold directly to the east terminal. Evidence collection and emergency medical teams are on the scene."

The pilot speaks to the passengers, who are being driven to the airport, that the plane needs to be examined and that they will not be able to continue until after.

Reydel: "I ask for your attention! This is Captain Reydel speaking. Mexican officials will be inspecting the aircraft. Please bear with this disturbance! We will continue our flight to New York City soon! Thank you!"

After the pilot gets off, a doctor shows him the dead man who had a belt of killer bees tied around him and was killed by them.

Reydel: "Did you find out what killed the passenger?"
Doctor: "Yeah, sure. He was wearing that belt."
Reydel: "What the.... Be careful!"

DVD: 1:52 min.


[00:42:25][00:34:34]

On the VHS, the scene where the man wants to get the two guys to catch some bees for him starts earlier.

Man: "Hey guys, come over here. You guys want to make some money? I got a job for you guys."
Boy 1: "What kind of job is it?"
Boy 2: "Let's better go. He looks like a tightwad, that grandpa."
Boy 1: "Wait and see what he offers us first. So?"

VHS: 14 secs.


[00:53:47][00:46:11]

The DVD omits how Sam, a businessman, walks up to his colleagues.

Sam: "So, gentlemen, would one of you please explain to me what the hell happened? Didn't they assure me [that their hives were foolproof]?"

The sentence fragment in parentheses can be heard as the other man is drinking from the glass. The scene is included on the DVD, but the German dub for it is missing.

VHS: 4 sec.


[00:53:54][00:46:13]

Another dialogue from Sam is missing.

Sam: "How did the killer bees spread across the country? The horror reports of this plague have hit Congress like a bomb. And that bomb exploded right under my butt."

VHS: 12 secs.


[00:54:18][00:46:25]

Another piece of dialogue between the three men is missing.

Sam: "Dr. Morris did that? Oh, that son of a bitch. I'm going to transfer him to a leper ward in Bangladesh tomorrow."
Man: "But that doesn't change the damage he's done here."

VHS: 11 secs.


[00:55:49][00:47:46]

John's explanations cause some laughter before the committee. The following dialogue is missing.

Man: "Are they saying that their substance turns the reproductive bees into homosexuals?"
John: "You can put it that way, of course. And the second thing to add is that the queen is killed by the drones."
Man: "I like your remedy. Could it be applied to humans as well?"

VHS: 21 secs.


[01:01:06][00:52:42]

In a new scene, Dr. Bumblebee is shown wiping out the bee box and talking to the bees.

Afterwards, John is shown meeting with some members of industry and government to talk through his plan.

Frank: "Dr. Norman, nice to meet you."
John: "Likewise."
Man: "Frank, sorry for the delay, we got held up in traffic."
Frank: "No problem, no problem. I think you already know Mr. Winkler and Mr. Blankeley?"
John: "Yes, we've met. These gentlemen are in charge here now?"
Winkler: "Well, not directly. But the industry holds a lot of interest, you understand?
John: "Yes."
Frank: "Dr. Norman, it is not normally our policy to invest energy in projects like yours without extensive testing! As you may know!"
John: "Yes, I am aware."
Frank: "Well, the President has asked us to find a solution in the matter at all costs. There have been over 200 deaths, including many children and thousands of farm animals."
John: "Look, Mr. Brennan. We were able to clean up an infested area in a week. That's one of the advantages of this kind of insect control. One teaspoon of pheromones covers thousands of fields."
Frank: "Then it doesn't cost much if it doesn't work."
John: "But it will work and won't harm the environment in any way."
Frank: "Wonderful. Start whenever you're ready."
John: "We're ready now."
Frank: "Then let me know what you need?"
John: "Okay."

In the next scene, Dr. Hummel listens to the bees.

DVD: 2:26 min.


[01:05:54][00:59:56]

In a new scene, John is praised by the President.

General: "For them."
John: "Hello?"
President: "You've done a great job, Dr. Norman. My sincere admiration. And please extend congratulations to Dr. Hummel as well."
John: "I will. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Good afternoon, Mr. President."

Afterwards, Sandra tells Dr. Hummel about the progress John has made.

Sandra: "Oh, uncle Siggi. Siggi. You never look at the step."
Hummel: "Why? Is it particularly pretty?"
Sandra: "Uncle Siggi, I have wonderful news. I have received a call from John. Don't you want to know what he said?"
Hummel: "Yes, I do. What did he say?"
Sandra: "There is no more evidence of the existence of any more devilish bees."
Bumblebee: "Fine."
Sandra: "He's coming back tonight and I'm going to meet him at the airport."
Bumblebee: "Oh, fine."
Sandra: "It might be late, so don't stay up."
Bumblebee: "Yeah yeah, sweetheart. Go ahead. I'll be fine. Oh no."
Sandra. "What? Are you all right? Uncle Siggi, are you okay? Whether you're okay?"
Bumblebee: "Yeah yeah, I'm okay. I just thought there was something wrong with the printouts. But everything is okay, everything is okay."
Sandra: "Oh, Uncle Siggi. I thought there was something wrong with you. Oh, Uncle Siggi. You were so good to me. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Bumblebee: "No, no, dear. It's nothing."
Sandra: "You always say that, it' s nothing...it's nothing."

DVD: 1:45 min.