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Only an expert should ever take on anything as dangerous as Steve and his team do. And when approaching a family of the most highly socially organised creatures on the planet, we hope the Deadly 60 team are as friendly as their hosts!

How to film a Killer Bee nest 100ft up a cliff

By Steve Backshall

These are not your usual honey bees. They might look alike but these bees are a hybrid of the African honey bee and European bees. The result is an “Africanised” far more aggressive bee. Their aggressively protective behavior has been termed by scientists as hyper-defensive and earned them the nickname "killer bees". The sting of the Africanized Honey Bee is no more potent than a regular honey bee but the Africanized bees are more dangerous because they are more easily provoked, quick to swarm, attack and sting in much greater numbers, and pursue their victims for greater distances. An Africanized bee colony can remain agitated longer and may attack up to a quarter of a mile away from the hive.

Being stung by an angry swarm of killer bees could be fatal. Hanging off a rope in front of 1000s of them seems like suicide.

Filming these deadly stingers on a precipitous rock face wasn’t exactly easy. Here’s how we did it.

DISCLAIMER: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO GET THIS CLOSE TO OR TRY AND FILM KILLER BEES. LEAVE IT TO THE EXPERTS!

• We went prepared: The site was recced extensively before the filming was organised.

• The right advice: The deadly team took advice from Terry Winchester, a local killer bee expert with 40 years experience.

• Safety first: Being stung by killer bees can be fatal. From full bee suits and paramedics on standby, smokers to calm the bees and evacuation plans – the team had it all covered by implementing rigorous health and safety protocols at every level.

• Climbing safely: Steve’s a hugely experienced climber. Director James ensured that he had a full climbing team on site, so the cliff was safely rigged for Steve, and the climb was overseen by a climbing safety supervisor.

• Choosing the right kit: The team opted for a mini cam for Steve to hold and film himself. Handling and carrying a bulky camera would have been tricky. A cameraman on an opposite cliff away from the bees safely filmed the other shots of Steve at the nest.

• Knowing your limits – Steve was sensible and knew when to get out of there. Agitated bees and a sting on the face were his cues to exit.