A carpenter looked like he’d been beaten up with swellings all over his body after an angry bee swarm viciously attacked him.
Amateur beekeeper Sam Perkin was stung over 60 times including on his face, arms, legs and backside.
He had been attending a honey bee hive in St Ives, Cornwall, after children allegedly targeted it by throwing stones and lifting its roof off for dares.
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“I was stung about 40 times just in my arms,” Sam told Need To Know
“Overall it was something like 50 to 60 stings.
“I even had them on my backside.
“A bee sting can turn a sunny day into a genuinely terrifying ordeal.
“Each sting hurts like hell for a few seconds.
“The swelling, redness, and itchiness lasts up to five days.
“The hive had been tormented by children causing the bees to become aggressive and a potential danger to the public.
“The bees are normally calmer than this.”
Sam said the angry bees managed to get into his suit despite taking precautions.
He added: “I was wearing normal nitrile thin rubber gloves, but I was getting stung a lot so it was sensible to wear thicker gloves.
“If there is an opening they will find it if they are in the mood to.
“I don’t often wrap up like this but they were aggressively defending their home, which is to be expected at this time of year.
“Once the first one stung me it would have left an attack pheromone and the rest decided to pile on in.”
Sam said he normally wears a thinner and cooler beekeeping jacket but opted for a full suit because of the time of year.
He said: “I was fully suited and booted.
“Normally I’ll wear a beekeeping jacket, which is thinner and cooler than a full suit.
“But at this time of year I fully suit up.
“I should have worn a jumper underneath but its very hot and sweaty in a full suit.
“Bees can be super aggressive at this time of year as they defend their stores.”
He said the hive had since calmed down after being removed from the children who had been throwing stones at it and lifting its lid.
Sam added: “I wouldn’t recommend throwing stones at a hive.
“People really don’t know how dangerous bees can be.”
In May, brave beekeeper Molly Earl scooped up a swarm of the insects with her bare hands in Newquay, Cornwall to stop them swooping on passers by.
She was called out to the colony which had descended on a post.
She rushed to scene and managed to calm the bees using a mister.
Then, after locating the queen, she proceeded to use unprotected hands to transfer them to a box.
She said it was a more gentle technique and reduced the risk of the bees flying off.
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