Chinese beekeeper triumphs in 'bee-bearding' competition

Wang Dalin, 42, went head-to-head with fellow bee enthusiast Lu Kongjiang in the challenge, which took place in the province's Shaoyang City on Sunday.

Both Wang and Lu, 20 - dressed in just a pair of shorts and facial protection including goggles and nose-plugs - stood on a set of scales for an hour while using queen bees to attract swarms of the insects to their bodies.

And after the 60 minutes were up Wang was declared the winner, having attracted an impressive 26.86kg worth of bees - compared to Lu, who could only manage just under 23kg.

But despite their efforts, neither managed to break the world record for the most number of bees 'worn' at any one time.

That honour belongs to American animal trainer Mark Biancaniello, who attracted 39.5kg worth of bees on to his body in 1998.

Bee-bearding was invented in Russia in the 1830s and was originally confined to attracting bees to one's face, using a queen bee in a strategically placed cage.

However more recently the practice has extended to covering the entire body in bees, as it provides more room for a greater number of the insects to land.

Other notable 'bee-bearders' include Chinese couple Li Wenhua and Yan Hongxia, both of whom were covered in bees for their wedding ceremony in 2009.


/Metro.co.uk/