# Bee Job



## Tom (Mar 4, 2011)

Here's what I did today. It was a commercial for Bojangles Chicken.


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## Isa (Mar 4, 2011)

:-| OMG Tom are you the guys with all the bees. If yes, you are very brave and if not, you are still very brave to work with that many bees in the same place . I love bees though, I think they are beautiful . How was it to work with them?


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## Edna (Mar 4, 2011)

Am I allowed to comment on this without being counted as a fawning admirer? You are one trusting guy, Tom. No Bojangles Chicken here, so I hope you'll post a link when the commercial is released.


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## CtTortoiseMom (Mar 4, 2011)

Omg!!! Could you breath with them all over your mouth and nose? Did any of them sting you? Was the sound of their buzzing incredibly loud? Tell more, what was it like??? Pretty crazy!!


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## Laura (Mar 4, 2011)

how many stings?


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## Robert (Mar 4, 2011)

What does that have to do with chicken?


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## Neal (Mar 4, 2011)

Pshhh, that's fake.

j/k, what do bees have to do with chicken I wonder?


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## Tom (Mar 4, 2011)

Well it was certainly an adventure. It was very hard to breathe. My nose and ears had to be plugged to keep them out, so I had to breathe through my mouth which had about 3 inches of bees covering it. AND I had to act!!! They kept trying to get in my eyes and drink the tears. When I shut my eyes they would get on the lids and try to pry them open. That's when I got stung. 3 times under the right eye and once under the left. I just had to sit there and take it. Bill the beekeeper would have to smoke and brush them off the area and scratch the stinger out. It was very loud, hard to breathe and hard to keep my eyes open, but it was still a really amazing experience. I enjoyed every minute of it. I like to "test" myself sometimes and this was a good one. I had to wear them for about two hours. It was an exercise in self control, toleration and patience. All very good for me to practice.


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## Laura (Mar 4, 2011)

ohhh not sure i could endure that for two hours.. with the stings.. arent you red and puffy? makeup to cover that? what is the theme of the commercial? you appear to be wearing a apron...


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## B K (Mar 4, 2011)

WOW!!!!!


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## Tortuga_terrestre (Mar 4, 2011)

Holy Crap! Did you remember to change your underwears??? hahahaha.


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## Tom (Mar 4, 2011)

Laura said:


> ohhh not sure i could endure that for two hours.. with the stings.. arent you red and puffy? makeup to cover that? what is the theme of the commercial? you appear to be wearing a apron...



It got a little red, but not bad. No make up. The bees covered the rea anyway. I can't really talk much about the theme. At least not until it starts to air. The apron is to help contain the bees and guide them up to their queen who was in a little box under my chin. We were supposed to take it off after the bee beard was in place, but the director told us to just leave it on.


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## John (Mar 4, 2011)

dang tom bojangles is my favorite,i lived on it when i was in the corps.we don't have it in jersey though so can ya ship me some.


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## Marty333 (Mar 4, 2011)

What kind of bees? Why didnt they attack you?


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## Tom (Mar 4, 2011)

Marty333 said:


> What kind of bees? Why didnt they attack you?



Honey bees. They don't attack because they don't perceive us as a treat to their hive or babies.


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## terryo (Mar 4, 2011)

I can't imagine getting stung near the eye. I got a bee sting on my hand once, and it hurt so bad. We had to rush my grand daughter to the hospital when she got stung because her whole body started to swell up. But I do love honey, and without them we wouldn't have some great veggies in my garden, if they're the same kind of bee, that is. You are very brave Tom.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Mar 4, 2011)

WOW, hope you got high hazard pay!


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## Mao Senpai (Mar 4, 2011)

Wow that is scary!


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## Cameron (Mar 4, 2011)

squamata said:


> dang tom bojangles is my favorite,i lived on it when i was in the corps.



well then, Semper Fi! are you talking about the one just outside Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville? i ate there ALL THE TIME when i was stationed there. 

Tom...you are a BEAST!!


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## Leebug (Mar 5, 2011)

As someone who is allergic to bees... this gives me anxiety just looking at it!!!
Tom, you are very brave~ such cool pics!


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## coreyc (Mar 5, 2011)

Leebug said:


> As someone who is allergic to bees... this gives me anxiety just looking at it!!!
> Tom, you are very brave~ such cool pics!



Same here


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## Tom (Mar 5, 2011)

Thanks all. I don't know if "brave" is the right word. Might be ignorant, dumb, or stupid instead. Haha.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 5, 2011)

Or...$$$$$?


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## Tom (Mar 5, 2011)

emysemys said:


> Or...$$$$$?



Well that did have a LITTLE to do with it.


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## exoticsdr (Mar 5, 2011)

Tom...sorry, but I can't be your friend anymore, your life wears me plumb OUT! A true Jack-of-all-trades and I think Master of many of them...Cheers.

Doc


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## Nay (Mar 5, 2011)

That's funny Todd, because I was thinking on those same lines!! Ya love'm but ya hate'm also!!
That Green Monster is something else!
Nay


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## B K (Mar 5, 2011)

Tom are you a stunt man also.


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## Isa (Mar 5, 2011)

So it was you! You are one brave man! After the first sting I would have chicken out lol! I did not think about how heavy they must have been but now that you mention it, I can see why very easily. What an amazing experience (for those who are able to do it and stay there  ). Thanks for sharing the experience with us


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## Tom (Mar 5, 2011)

B K said:


> Tom are you a stunt man also.



Technically yes, but really no. I've done all sorts of stuff doubling actors for animal related stunts and dog attacks. I guarantee you've seen me in movies a bunch of times, but didn't know it wasn't the real actor.



Isa said:


> So it was you! You are one brave man! After the first sting I would have chicken out lol! I did not think about how heavy they must have been but now that you mention it, I can see why very easily. What an amazing experience (for those who are able to do it and stay there  ). Thanks for sharing the experience with us



They weighed about 4 pounds.

I couldn't chicken out after the first sting. I was still covered by 60,000 of her friends!


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## Kristina (Mar 5, 2011)

It is such a common misconception that bees just randomly attack. They only attack those that they perceive as a threat.

I am allergic as well. Been to the ER many times for oxygen and antidotes, especially when I was 9 months pregnant for my oldest and I was stung in the throat. I had to be intubated. Awesome.

Even still I think bees are amazing creatures. They don't really frighten me, although my husband does get very angry with me when I insist on taking up-close pictures of them, lol. Me getting stung scares him more than it scares me. 

Did they use pheremones from the queen to get them to stay in place?


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## Tom (Mar 5, 2011)

We had an actual live queen in a little box under my chin and we taped some little pheromone sticks along my jaw line too. Bill, the bee guy, is a total pro with 40 years experience. The man knows his bees and he knew exactly what he was doing EVERY step of the way. I never felt like I was in any danger at all.


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## John (Mar 5, 2011)

hey tom if ya can't ship me the chicken how bout some hot sauce?


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## Tom (Mar 5, 2011)

squamata said:


> hey tom if ya can't ship me the chicken how bout some hot sauce?



Good lord man. They don't have the product at a commercial shoot. If they do its handled by a "food stylist" who makes it look appetizing, but its usually not edible. They certainly don't give it out to the crew.

If I ever actually see a Bojangles Restaurant I will certainly get you some hot sauce.


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## John (Mar 5, 2011)

Tom said:


> squamata said:
> 
> 
> > hey tom if ya can't ship me the chicken how bout some hot sauce?
> ...



lol ill be waiting


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## Isa (Mar 6, 2011)

Tom said:


> Isa said:
> 
> 
> > So it was you! You are one brave man! After the first sting I would have chicken out lol! I did not think about how heavy they must have been but now that you mention it, I can see why very easily. What an amazing experience (for those who are able to do it and stay there  ). Thanks for sharing the experience with us
> ...



Yes very good point, since all her friends were there the thing I would have done is saying "Oppss my bad, it was my fault" lol  
Do you know what could have happen if their queen would not have been on you? I did not know the Queen had to be that close. Very interesting


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## ALDABRAMAN (Mar 6, 2011)

exoticsdr said:


> Tom...sorry, but I can't be your friend anymore, your life wears me plumb OUT! A true Jack-of-all-trades and I think Master of many of them...Cheers.
> 
> Doc



O' I agree. wish he was my neighbor.........


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## Tom (Mar 6, 2011)

ALDABRAMAN said:


> exoticsdr said:
> 
> 
> > Tom...sorry, but I can't be your friend anymore, your life wears me plumb OUT! A true Jack-of-all-trades and I think Master of many of them...Cheers.
> ...



I wish I was YOUR neighbor! Sheesh, who doesn't?

Thanks for the kind words Dr. Westin and Greg.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Mar 6, 2011)

Tom said:


> ALDABRAMAN said:
> 
> 
> > exoticsdr said:
> ...



Imagine the projects, for sure some highly conditioned canines, LOL.


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