‘Bees hitch a ride’: millions marvel at coolness of Chinese ‘legend’ who calmly drives on as hundreds of honeybees swarm above his head inside car
- Backseat passenger films video of the insects buzzing above the head of unconcerned driver as he points at them smiling
- Some people in China believe a bee visiting your house is auspicious, prompting driver to exclaim: ‘I am going to be rich!’
Chinese social media is buzzing over a man who calmly carried on driving while hundreds of honeybees swarmed above his head in a hive they had made in his car.
Millions in China were drawn to the video of a beehive wobbling above the driver’s head while he drove along a road near a mountain village in eastern China’s Anhui province on April 1.
A passenger, who filmed the video from the backseat of the car in which she was returning to her hometown for the tomb-sweeping duties, said the wild bees had been gathering in the car for a day or so.
The driver, surnamed Yao, also recorded several selfie videos with the bees.
In one of the videos posted on Douyin on March 31, Yao points at the hive while driving and says with a big smile: “Check them out! I’m going to be rich,” referring to the belief of some in China that a bee visiting your house is auspicious.
Some people familiar with bee behaviour said it was natural for some bees to abandon their original hive to build a new nest with their queen in the spring.
In an article published in Nature Physics, a group of researchers also explained that the departing bees usually congregate into a mass formation to protect themselves before finding a new place to live.
However, the bees usually congregate on tree branches, not inside cars.
The passenger said she too was not afraid because after growing up in the area she knew the wild insects would not attack people.
Still, the vivid footage gave goosebumps to many online observers.
“I can’t believe he spent a whole day in peace with the bees! I dare not spend a minute together with them,” said one person.
“I’m not scared of the bees themselves. I’m phobic of them clustering so densely,” said another.
“The driver is a legend, keeping the bees as pets,” said a third.
