A 24-year-old youth from southern India's Kerala has set a new Guinness World Record after he let 60,000 honey bees cover his face for four hours, 10 minutes and five seconds.<br /><br />The dangerous feat was achieved on 31 December 2017.<br /><br />A resident of Thrissur, Nature M.S., had a close companionship with bees while growing up in his father's bee farm in Kerala.<br /><br />He said: "I used to impress my friends doing cool tricks with honey bees since I was young."<br /><br />Nature was introduced to the buzzing world by his father, who happens to be an award-winning beekeeper and honey maker.<br /><br />"My first experience was when I held out a queen bee on my palm, and shortly afterwards other bees gathered around my hand to protect her. Soon within 15 minutes, my palm was completely covered in bees," he said.<br /><br />Nature added that he performed the same trick on his head, letting the insects envelop him.<br /><br />When asked if the thought of getting stung scared him, Nature said even before he learnt the fact that honeybee stings are dangerous, he had developed a special bond with them.<br /><br />When he grew up, along with his father, Nature started campaigning about bee protection and the importance of beekeeping.<br /><br />His attraction for his buzzing friends has led him to pursue academic studies in apiculture for masters at a college in Bangalore, India.<br /><br />"My attempt for Guinness World Record was a part of the awareness program that we are trying to raise on honey bees. We must protect them. Honey bees form a crucial part of our sustenance on Earth and its ecosystem. India once had a huge number of beekeepers. Now the art of beekeeping has diminished to near extinction," he said.<br /><br />The previous record that Nature broke was for 53 minutes and was held by a Chinese man.<br /><br />Nature remains hopeful about the art of beekeeping and wants to pursue it further after completing his studies.
