A man took communing with nature to new, horrifying heights last week in the Dominican Republic when he strolled down the street with a queen bee in his fist and the rest of the colony crawling on his arm.
TikTok user Daniirodman posted the video, which he later shared to Instagram. In it, he converses in Spanish with the guy carrying (wearing?) the bees.
Reddit user Idrialis translated the exchange into English:
Camera Guy: Hey man, don’t you get stung by the bees?
Bees Guy: They know their owner.
Camera Guy: You must have some issues. Do they produce honey on you?
Bees Guy: No, I’m going to put them in a box now.
Camera Guy: And do you have the queen in your hand? Because they are where their queen is
Bees Guy: Yes. I have it in my fist.
It isn’t clear why Bees Guy moved the bees, but Rodman hypothesized to publication the Dodo that it wasn’t that dude’s first time doing it: “He was acting totally normal about it. It seems that he had done that before through the town. Other people around didn’t seem surprised by it at all.”
The video garnered a ton of interest and speculation on Reddit. Some users expressed their shock and admiration for Bees Guy.
Other users discussed the reason the bees weren’t stinging Bees Guy. Most speculated on the pheromonal connection between the queen and the swarm. Queen bees produce queen mandibular pheromone, which induces a sense of belonging in her subjects. Worker bees produce a different pheromone, when danger is present, to alert the other bees. Many users suggested that the queen wasn’t sending out the alert pheromone, so the other bees weren’t trying to protect her. It isn’t clear if the queen can produce this pheromone, though, as she isn’t a worker bee. Is she?
Other users commented on the relationship between Bees Guy and the bees, suggesting that they trust him and know him.
One Reddit user offered a different explanation for why they weren’t attacking :
As long as they aren’t being bothered, seems all good to me! Save the bees! Here’s another interesting way to help them out.
