I helped set bee beard's up before.  They are pretty easy to do.  Go into a
colony, find the queen, and put her to the side.  Next shake about 1-2lbs.
of bees into a package and leave them in a cool shaded spot for 12-24 h.
When your ready to form the bee beard you will either need a queen in a cage
or some of the queen's mandibular pheromone.  Tie either around the neck of
the person to be bearded.  The person's ears and nostrils should be plugged
with cotton to avoid bees crawlsing in either of those holes.  Next, lightly
rub insect repellent around the eye and mouth areas.  If the person has a
lot of hair on their head, it should be tied up and put into a hat.  When
everything has been prepared, bring the package over, shake the bees gently
onto some cardboard.  Hold the cardboard right up near the person's neck,
and the bees will begin running towards the queen.  You can tilt the
cardboard to get the bees onto the neck and face quicker, but done push
things too much.  Once all the bees are of you should have something that
looks like a beard (mine looked like a messy goh-tee).  I can't quite
remember how to get the bees off.  Perhaps the queen (we used pheromone) is
taken off first, and then person with the beard stands over a box and takes
a great big hard jump up and down in the air.  Most of the bees will drop
off the beard and into the box.  Jump backwards for 10-15 meters until most
of the bees are off.  Put the bees back in the colony they came from.
 
If you are going to do this for a big event go through a dry run.  Make sure
everyone knows what to do well ahead of time.  Don't forget to take pictures
and enjoy the feat.
 
At 07:21 AM 6/22/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi, I wrote earlier about our St. Ambrose Summer Celebration and want to
>thank all of those who shared information about St Ambrose.  I've got my
>husband talked into doing a bee beard that day. Is there anyone out there
>who has actual experience with the best way to perform this feat. We could
>use some tips. Happy Summer Soltice everyone!     Sharon
>
>*Kirk Jones/ Sleeping Bear Apiaries /971 S. Pioneer Rd./Beulah,MI 49617
>*Sharon Jones/ BeeDazzled Candleworks /6289 River Rd./ Benzonia, MI 49616
>                        e-mail   [log in to unmask]
>
>
***********************************
** Adony P. Melathopoulos *********
*** Center for Pest Management ****
**** Simon Fraser University ******
***** Burnaby, British Columbia ***
****** Canada, V5A-1S6 ************
***********************************
 
Tel : (604) 291-4163
Fax : (604) 291-3496
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"The pursuit of agriculture promotes the strength of the mind
 as well as the body"
         - Rev. John L. Blake, 1853