Beekeepers Do Crazy Things

I'm sure that mainstream society already thinks that beekeepers have got a screw lose. I mean, who in their right mind thinks that keeping nearly 30,000 stinging insects in their backyard is fun?! But just to make sure that there is no doubt in anyone's mind that some beekeepers are a bit more "unhinged" than others, one just needs to read the news. Check it out: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2011/07/world/hires.bee.bearding/index.html?&hpt=hp_c2

Now this demonstration of bee bearding is a testament to several things 1) the insanity/bravery/guts of the guys in the picture and 2) the gentleness of bees when responding to queen mandibular pheromone. Either queen pheromone vials or queen bees themselves are used to attract the bees. I'm guessing that vials of pheromone were used here. The cloth in the picture may have been soaked or sprinkled in it as well. The bees aren't necessarily swarming the person as much as they are swarming where they can smell the presence of queen pheromone. So, if you took a bath in queen pheromone or hung  a vial of it about your neck like a pendant or talisman during late spring/ early summer and you may very well end up with a swarm of bees hanging from your neck. That would give a whole new meaning to the term: bee bearding.