0:00:05 > 0:00:08This is Blue Peter, but mini.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Expect epic adventures, makes, bakes, badges, pets,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15presenters and your post.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19We've only got five minutes, so get ready for your Blue Peter adventure.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Welcome to Quince Honey Farm in Devon,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26home to almost 100 million bees.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28And normally, those bees are in hives, making honey.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Sweet little bees.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Except today, they're going to be on my face.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I'm attempting an ancient tradition called the beard of bees -
0:00:36 > 0:00:40a practice that dates way back to the early 1800s
0:00:40 > 0:00:45and involves having potentially thousands of bees on my face.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47It's a challenge with a history on Blue Peter
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and was last attempted by Helen in 2009.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53But after 20 minutes of having the bees crawling on her,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56they eventually lost patience.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Oh! Stung me - stung me on my face.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02- Yeah, she's got a sting in the face. - Oh.- OK.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06And now I want to see if I can go one better and complete the beard.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10But before I attempted the challenge,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I wanted to find out a bit more about the bees themselves.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16This is Ian - he's a honey farmer and looks after all the hives here.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19- Ian, how are you doing? - Good, thanks, how are you doing?
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Well, I'm OK. I'm a little bit nervous being around all these bees.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25What exactly are you looking out for?
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Checking the health of the colony, just seeing what's happening inside.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31They're kind of sticking their heads in. What are these guys doing?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Those ones are feeding, so in those cells,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37there's actually honey and they are having some of it to eat.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Central to my challenge today is the queen bee,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42and she is vital to any bee colony.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44The queen is usually the mother
0:01:44 > 0:01:47to most, if not all, the bees in the hive.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50- Is that her? Number 44? - That's it, you've got it.- OK.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Why do you choose her to be the queen?
0:01:52 > 0:01:54- Who makes that decision? - The bees make that decision.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- OK.- Yeah. So, when the colony needs to change the queen,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59it's the worker bees that will decide.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02So, they'll take an egg laid by the original queen
0:02:02 > 0:02:03and they treat it differently...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05SHE GASPS Sorry!
0:02:05 > 0:02:07And that's what changes it either into a worker bee
0:02:07 > 0:02:08or into a queen bee.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10I am nervous for later, though,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12but at least we've got these massive suits on.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Well, yeah, but you won't have later.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15Yeah, you heard that right.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17No more bee suit for me.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But how do I get the bees on my face?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22So, we take the queen bee, who is already in a cage,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and then we are going to transfer her onto your chin.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27She emits a pheromone, a smell,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29and the other bees want to be near her,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and they've been separated from their queen for about an hour,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34so now they're really pleased to see her
0:02:34 > 0:02:35and they'll just follow her, wherever she goes.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37OK, so, what's next?
0:02:37 > 0:02:39- Let's go and meet the bees.- Oh...
0:02:39 > 0:02:42- Oh, there's one, there's one. - Follow that one.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I'm working with experts and have a medic nearby.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Do not try this at home.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51The first thing I need to do is get used to the feel of the bees.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Oh... Ah...
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Ian wants me to touch the bees with my hand...
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Oh, I'm shaking so much!
0:02:57 > 0:03:00..so I can get used to the feeling of them on my skin.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- That's it. Good.- OK.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Right - let's do this.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Just want you to put your chin over here, like this.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- Oh, OK, OK, OK.- Move forwards.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15At first, I can barely bring myself to touch the bees with my chin.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16SHE HUMS NERVOUSLY
0:03:16 > 0:03:20This is a truly bizarre and nerve-racking experience.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- Uh...- That's backwards. - I know, I know.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I can't even open my mouth to speak.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31- Mm!- It's all right, that was a bee's leg, gripping onto your chin.- OK.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34What we'll do now, we'll take the queen bee away from the cluster
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and we're going to position her under your chin.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- OK?- OK, yeah.- All right. - Yeah.- Let's go for it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I have never done something more for the badge.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47SHE GASPS
0:03:47 > 0:03:49You might have one or two land on your face now.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- It's a good time to keep calm. - It's on my hand.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Argh!
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Ian takes the queen and ties her around my chin.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04This is really going to start to feel uncomfortable,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06but you're handling it really well.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10We top up and we attract more bees by you leaning forwards.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13As the bees start coming across onto my face,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I'm feeling more and more uneasy.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Forwards.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21You're doing really good, really well.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24I need to keep as calm and still as possible,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26but that's easier said than done
0:04:26 > 0:04:29when you have bees crawling on your face.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32It's so hard not to flinch.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37But just when I think things are starting to go well...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Ow, ow, ow!
0:04:39 > 0:04:41..I've been stung.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Once one bee has stung, it sends a signal to all the others
0:04:44 > 0:04:47that they're in danger, and then I'm stung for a second time.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49SHE GROANS
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Oh, I don't want to get stung!
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Ian steps in to call it off.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58It wasn't to be for me today, and for mine and the bees' safety,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01the challenge was brought to a halt.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04But it's not all bad news.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06How many did I get on? Like, ten?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- No, no, there was a few hundred there.- Really?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Yeah. But as soon as you got the sting on the forehead...
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Ow, ow!
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I know, I panicked. And then it stung my lip.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Yeah...- Which I can feel is getting bigger and bigger.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- You did come away with a goatee. - Did I?
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Yeah, yeah.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23So impressed, so impressed with that.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Ow - it hurts to smile!
0:05:27 > 0:05:30You know what? Standing here now, at the end of today's challenge,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I am proud, because I was very, very nervous,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37and I managed to face my fear, quite literally put my face
0:05:37 > 0:05:40into a load of bees, which I was scared of.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42So, at least I'm not afraid of bees any more.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44BUZZING Whoa!
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Join in every Thursday on CBBC.