A Chinese beekeeper covered his semi-naked body with more than 460,000 bees for a publicity stunt aimed at selling more of his honey, using a technique known as ‘bee bearding’.

She Ping, a 34-year-old honey merchant from the southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, covered himself in bees that collectively weighed more than 100 pounds.

‘To be honest I felt very nervous, but I do it to promote my honey,’ She said, adding: ‘I’m used to dealing with bees… and started these activities when I was about 22.’

‘It hurt but I didn’t dare to move,’ he said, adding that he was stung more than 20 times during the 40-minute stunt.

China is one of the world’s major producers of honey, though its exports have been banned in several countries due to fears of counterfeiting.