By Charles Creasey
This is the moment a barmy beekeeper pulled down his trousers and sat his nude bottom on a beehive - for $1000.
Aurel Braguta challenged his pal Jamie Grainger to sit on a swarm with his bare bum on a farm in Matamata.
Grainger was challenged to "sit for 30 seconds" in the bees after his colleague had failed to do the same thing moments earlier - barely lasting 19 seconds in the swarm.
Eye-watering footage shows the potty 27-year-old drop his trousers and plonk his bare behind into the angry hive - cupping his manhood in a bid to keep it safe - and earning $1000 for the feat.
Grainger, from Tauranga, New Zealand, said: "Was it painful? Well, it was just as you can imagine.
"It wasn't pleasant but it was certainly amusing. As you can imagine your arse swells up.
"It was just a spur of the moment thing and he offered me a thousand bucks - I was like 'well a thousand bucks', that sounds good.
"When my partner Lauren found out we both had a bit of a laugh. And when she found out I'd got a thousand bucks she said to me - 'well that could pay for the wedding'. But she was just cracking up.
"One thousand bucks for 30 seconds is the easiest money I've ever earned.
"Aurel is an arrogant b*****d and makes bets on the spur of the moment. He once gave me 500 bucks to eat a slug.
"Naturally when bees sting you they die. But it's near the end of the season and a lot die off anyway.
"There is no harm in what we do - we care about the bees and the job is important to us."
Dad-of-two Braguta was keen to stress that even though the video was a "laugh" it should not be tried at home.
Aurel said: "It was just for a bit of a laugh really.
"As a team we are prepared to do pretty much anything - it's not insane or crazy at all.
"Although, he was quite badly stung when he got up - I think it was quite painful for him.
"I suppose it's a bit like the TV show Fear Factor. It's about overcoming your fears and being brave.
"We were just having a bit of fun. It's just a group of beekeepers having a laugh while at work. We're a professional company doing what we do.
"But they sting, they always sting. I've worked in bees for years now and we get stung every day.
"You can never prevent being stung. It hurts every time and you don't get used to it. You just learn to expect it.
"Not everyone can try to do that - especially not if you're allegic to bee stings. Your butt may swell and you can't go to the toilet afterwards.
"I challenged [colleague] Shane to do a whole minute and he barely made 19 seconds. So I told Jamie he'd get $1000 if he sat in the bees for just 30 seconds.
"What you don't see in the video is that Shane did it first but failed the challenge - so I offered the 30-second challenge for $1000. "I'll admit it's quite a lot of money.
"We always do weird challenges. We do all kinds of things - like eating slugs. Once we even ate pig's testicles for a laugh."
The boys said no to eating a dead rat though. After all, they do have standards.
"They're a great team and we're a professional company who work with bees on a daily basis. It's about challenging yourself and facing your fears.
"You shouldn't do this if you're not used to bees and working with them on a regular basis."
- Caters News Agency
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