Hive bees are attracted into position by a queen in a small cage worn under the chin.
[1][2] Though beekeepers since ancient times have allowed bees to rest on their bodies to demonstrate their rapport with the insects, the practice of congregating measurable quantities of bees on the face was initiated by Petro Prokopovych, a Ukrainian beekeeper, in the 1830s.
The practice spread to various "freak" exhibitions at Russian carnivals by the end of the 19th century.
Indian man Vipin Seth set a world record for wearing a mantle of bees weighing 61.4 kilograms.
[4] As of August 31, 2017, the record for the longest time wearing a beard of bees was 61 minutes.