Steve Downs painting a bee box
Beecasso logo

The Painter Who
Saves Bees

Humane live bee removal across California. No pesticides, no chemicals. Every colony relocated to our private sanctuaries in the Santa Monica Mountains.

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Dramatic hand-painted bee box by Steve Downs

Steve's Story

Twenty years ago, a conventional exterminator met a beekeeper named Simon Sharf. Nothing was the same after that.

Steve in bee suit holding a colorful painted bee box at the sanctuary
01 - The Artist

Hollywood Abstract Expressionist

Steve Downs calls himself a Hollywood-based abstract expressionist painter and honeybee preservationist. He has never seen a dividing line between the work and the art.

Bee on honeycomb macro
02 - The Discovery

From Exterminator to Preservationist

"We used to spray the hive, then run away and hide behind buildings." Then he met Simon Sharf. "He was like Obi-Wan Kenobi to me."

Vibrant blue and pink painted box covered in live bees
03 - The Queen-Capture

Find the Queen First

Find the queen, and the colony follows her out of the wall rather than dying inside one. It takes patience and stillness. The method is why Beecasso exists.

Universal Studios logo
04 - Universal Studios

One Job, One New Standard

The Twister reboot was filming when fifty thousand bees moved into the Falls Lake lot. Steve removed them alive. Universal changed its no-kill policy for production lots.

Best of LA feature
05 - Celebrity Clients

“He’s My Idea of a Hero”

Diane Keaton, Tiffany Haddish, LeBron James, and James Hetfield have all called.

Hand-painted bee box in snow at Steve's private sanctuary
06 - Five Sanctuaries

Every Colony Lives

Five private bee sanctuaries in the Santa Monica Mountains. They go to Steve’s land. They always have.

Beecasso plush mascot, a bee in a beret and striped shirt sitting on a painted sunflower

Meet the Mascot

Every brand has a heart. Ours wears a beret and a striped shirt. The Beecasso bee is Steve's alter ego in plush form. Part French painter, part pollinator, entirely ridiculous in the best way.

He sits at the sanctuary entrance. Visitors photograph him more than the bees.

Beecasso bee mascot line art
Beecasso and His Magical Brush, children's book cover
The Book

Beecasso and His Magical Brush

The bee with the beret and the striped shirt started as a plush mascot at the sanctuary. Then Steve gave him a paintbrush and a story.

Discover the book→

How We Do Our Part

Beecasso is a live bee removal and hive relocation service. Every colony we touch is captured alive and transported to one of Steve's five private sanctuaries in the Santa Monica Mountains. No extermination. No chemicals. No exceptions. The work preserves the bee population one hive at a time, and it has for over twenty years.

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Live Bee Removal

Every bee leaves your property alive. The queen-capture technique means the colony follows willingly.

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Hive Relocation

Five private sanctuaries in the Santa Monica Mountains. The bees go to Steve's land. They always have.

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Preserving the Population

Nearly three thousand colonies relocated and thriving. Every removal adds to the count, not subtracts from it.

What Happens When We Arrive

1

Assessment

Steve inspects the property, identifies the species, finds where they're living, and tells you exactly what he's going to do before he starts anything.
2

Safe Removal

Using the queen-capture technique, the colony follows the queen out alive. No poison. No chemicals.
3

Hive Extraction

Complete removal of honeycomb, brood, and wax. Nothing left behind to attract the next swarm.
4

Seal and Prevent

Entry points sealed. Area cleaned. Your structure protected from future colonies.
5

Rehoming

Every colony goes to one of Steve's five private sanctuaries in the Santa Monica Mountains. The bees go home.

Where We Serve

One rule: no pesticide, every colony relocated alive.

California

Los Angeles, Orange County, and cities across Southern California.

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Five-Star Reviews

“
He's my idea of a hero!
Diane Keaton