Ammon news – Self-proclaimed “King of Bees” Ndayisaba says he has never been stung in the 30 years he has kept bees and made the insects swarm all over his body.
A man who describes himself as “The King of Bees” claims he was never stung, despite the fact that he has regularly walked around with thousands of bees crawling over his unprotected body.
Ndayisaba, a beekeeper from the Central African Republic of Rwanda, has been caring for bees since childhood but has gained new fame after a series of photos surfaced on social media of him in a “coat” of bees.
Ndayisaba explains: “To control the bees, I must first find the queen bee. Then I put the queen on my body to attract the other bees.”
The experienced beekeeper said he made the queen bee stay in one part of his body by tying her to a piece of string around his waist.
His other bees of course follow their queen and protect her fiercely, flying towards the Rwandan man and forming a shield around her to protect her.
Ndayisaba calmly added, “I’m known for beekeeping, they never sting me.”
He says: “It doesn’t bother people. It makes them happy and they want me to teach them. They are not afraid, they just want to learn to keep bees themselves.”
Ndayisaba says that aside from the popularity he has gained in and around his community, his unusual skills have helped him make a decent living selling the honey.
Bees will naturally swarm around their queen, and beekeepers have often exploited this instinct to create a “beehive”.
Veteran beekeeper Katie Lee writes on Bee Informed that the trick in making a bees’ beard is to prepare carefully.
“We regularly spray the bees with sugar syrup. Well-fed bees sting less often, so let’s keep them fat and happy, ”she explained.
She says she’ll smear petroleum jelly under her eyes and lips before giving a presentation to keep the bees from crawling too much. She also stuffs her ears and nose with cotton wool to prevent curious bees from going where they are not wanted.
Then comes the scary part when she sits down in a chair before “an assistant ties the queen around my head so the queen rests under my chin.”
“I hold a tray with the food to my stomach and my assistant throws the bees on the tray.”
As soon as the bees smell the queen, they form a swarm to protect her.
“The bees feet feel weird and electric when they grip the skin on my face and neck,” says Katie.
“They cling to each other and hang down like a beard. The bees will think they’re in a swarm, so they shouldn’t be defensive.”
However, it is not without risk. Unlike Ndayisaba, who says he’s never been stung in over 30 years of beekeeping, Katie says that every time she’s done a beehive, she’s been stung at least once and she knows of an unfortunate beekeeper who is at one Attempt has sustained over 50 painful stitches.
She warns, “Don’t try this unless you are prepared for something to go wrong with the bees.
“You will have thousands of stinging insects on your face so you need to be physically and mentally prepared to be stung many times and possibly in the face.”
* Day star
