Philip McCabe tries to break the record for the largest number of bees attached to a human body.
Head of the Irish Beekeepers’ Association Philip McCabe attempts to create a new world record for the biggest beard of bees. It is a way to get bees to cluster on a person’s face that resembles a beard. The world record of 350,000 was set in the United States in 1998.
The Irish attempt to break the world record for the biggest beard of bees takes place in Cahir, County Tipperary. The event is recorded for the RTÉ Radio 1 show 'Mooney Goes Wild’.
Philip McCabe wears underpants, a cap, a face mask, protective goggles, and a back brace to support the weight of the bees. Beekeepers have prepared six hives full of bees for the record-breaking attempt. The bees are funnelled through a tube onto Philip McCabe’s abdomen. His body is smeared with honey and the bees are attracted by the queen bee hanging in a small cage around his neck, they climb up to settle on his chin.
The breeze keeps blowing the bees away, but after a few hours, Philip McCabe manages to attract 200,000 bees to his face. While he does not beat the world record, his attempt raises funds for the charities, Bóthar and Bees for Development Trust. Philip McCabe is not stung until he jumps off the scales, weighing the number of bees on his body.
An RTÉ News report was broadcast on 25 June 2005. This footage has natural sound only.
