Record bid gives charity a buzz

LIMERICK-based charity Bothar has lined up a fund raising event which could buzz its way into the Guinness Book of Records.

Philip McCabe plans to have a 500,000-bee beard, weighing about 110 lbs, swarm all over his body which will be smothered in honey to attract them.

Mr McCabe, who is president of the Irish Beekeepers Federation, will undertake his buzzarre attempt at a record bee beard in Cahir on June 25. Mr McCabe, 60, who lives in Termonfechin, Co Louth, keeps about six million bees.

Of his record bid he said: “It’s a bit of mad cap idea. Crazy is the word.”

Members of the Galtee Beekeepers in Cahir will provide bees from ten hives. The bees are of the old Irish black bee variety which have been revived by the Galtee group of beekeepers.

Mr McCabe said: “One queen bee will be paced on my chin and this will help attract the bees. Honey will also rubbed on my body. I’ll only have my underpants on. I will probably get a few stings as the bees jostle for position. But I get stung every day and I am well used to this.”

He will stand on a weighing scales. The beekeeper added: “We know that 500,000 bees weight about one hundredweight. So as the bees gather on me and the weight goes up we will know how the record bid is going.”

The present record for a bee beard is for 350,000 held by a beekeeper from California.

Bothar chief executive Peter Ireton said: “We have a huge number of fund raisers, but this one is most unusual and we are delighted to have been chosen as a beneficiary of Philip’s record bid.”

Bothar, which was founded in 1991 is best known for sending dairy in-calf heifers and goats to third world families in 20 different countries to help them build up their herds.

Bothar also grant aids beekeeping programmes in association with partners in Ghana and Uganda.

Anybody wishing to donate should quote bank reference Wannabee Fund; account name Bothar Ltd; account number 28225981; sort code 98-60-20.