Man Transports A Bee Colony On His Arm By Holding The Queen In His Fist

• A video was uploaded showing the man, who is a worker in the Dominican Republic, walking down the street unfazed, his left arm covered entirely with bees.
• He has the queen in his fist and he said the bees “know their owner.”
• Pheromones apparently play a part in why the man was able to pull it off.

Most of us would run screaming if a single bee buzzes over us with the threat of getting stung. Bees can be nasty, especially if they think the queen of the hive is in danger. But this beekeeper transported a colony by letting the bees latch on his arm and not in the least afraid of them.

A video was uploaded showing the man, who is a worker in the Dominican Republic, walking down the street unfazed, his left arm covered entirely with bees. He said that he was carrying the bees and will put them in a box.

Of course, the incredulous sight begs the question: Why is he not getting stung?

The man replied the bees “know their owner.” The man who was filming asked about the colony’s queen, saying that the bees will be where their queen is. The beekeeper replied that he has the queen in his fist.

The video was posted on Reddit and they were in awe of the dude. User So_Much_So commented:

“He looks like he’s on his way to deliver one helluva Mortal Kombat finisher is what he looks like.”

User remmington1956 added:

“I can’t be chill with bees in my armpit.”

They were figuring out how the dude pulled it off. Fortunately, some of the users explained how it was possible. User runasaur said:

“Bees “swarm” when there’s a new queen and a chunk of the previous colony breaks off to start a new hive. At this point the bee swarm looks absolutely scary but it’s the most docile ever because it’s only looking for a new home while protecting the queen. Since the queen in this case doesn’t feel threatened and isn’t being harmed, the rest of the swarm just follows along.”

To which user minastirith replied:

“I don’t get how they can all understand that the queen is inside the fist but it isn’t harmed? Why would they not sting the shit out of this guy as I’m sure they get that he’s got hold of the queen and is taking her somewhere. Or do they view his fist as the queens home and it just happens to be a mobile home? Also I thought more would be flying around him rather just sitting on his arm.”

The answer, apparently, was pheromones. User innerObesity explained:

“Pheromones. They can smell the queen through and on his fist. If she was in danger, she’d give off a scent that screams “HALP AM THREATEN”, but she’s not. She’s probably giving off more a “well this is odd, but I am snug and secure atm so….” so her Workers* are just “we go on advencha!”

Pheromones are mixtures of chemical substances released by honeybees to express changes in behavior or physiology. The Queen Mandibular Pheromone (QMP) is “considered to be the most important set of pheromones in the colony” as it can affect the bees’ social behavior, swarming behavior, mating, and maintenance of the hive.