Philip McCabe, beekeeper
Third-generation beekeeper and owner of 60 hives, Philip McCabe knows what the buzz is this week. He recently stood for two hours, clad only in his underwear and a pair of goggles, with 210,000 bees covering his body - as part of a world-record attempt. He didn't smear himself with honey; he simply placed one queen bee in a little mesh cage attached to his chin. The 209,999 other bees crawled onto his body - an experience he describes as "not much fun". He escaped with just seven stings. His world record attempt heralded the coming of Apimondia 2005, (Latin for "Bees of the World"), an international beekeeping congress hosted by Ireland this week. As president of the Federation of the Irish Beekeepers Associations, McCabe is responsible for the event, which will attract swarms of bee buffs from about 100 countries to the RDS. There will be demonstrations, a craft village and the World Honey Show, which includes sections for jars of honey, comb honey, mead, beeswax, candles and honey cakes. There will also be workshops in beekeeping, honey manufacture and cooking with honey - for anyone who is interested, not just the experts. Apimondia Ireland 2005, RDS, from tomorrow until Friday. www.apimondia2005.com. Nicoline Greer