- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 April 2010 15.48 BST
An experienced beekeeper died after his beloved insects stung him as he tended a hive on his allotment.
Father-of-two Christopher Weaver, 56, a legal adviser and Falklands war veteran, was feeding his bees when he collapsed suddenly in front of a friend.
Paramedics spent 30 minutes trying to revive Weaver, who was wearing no protective clothing, but he died in hospital, where doctors found a series of stings on his chest and abdomen.
His father Alec, 79, said today that his son was used to handling the bees. "He was just feeding them some sugar solution. He had all the protective clothing – and he had clothing for his sons too. He wasn't wearing anything, which was careless really.
"The hive had just been transferred and I think the bees had been disturbed. So they were angry and probably sleepy too. In the past the stings had not affected him. I know he was stung on the stomach, I don't know how many stings he suffered.
"The postmortem said the venom got into the lower left ventricle of his heart. They said his heart was strong and he did not have a condition.
"I think it was a nice day when he went to the hive and he had taken his shirt off. Another chap working on his allotment raised the alarm on his mobile phone.
"The paramedics got him breathing again but he was brain dead at the hospital. It was just a freak accident."
Christopher's wife Sandra, 28, was at the couple's home in Coalville, Leicestershire, 300m from the beehive when the tragedy happened earlier this month.
"He went up to feed them and the next thing I knew his friend was banging on the door saying he had collapsed." she said.
"I'm trying to come to terms with it and I'm trying to be strong but I miss him so much. He was a dream.
"Chris was a loving and caring husband. He would help anyone in need. He had a great sense of humour, always made people laugh and was determined to meet his goals in life."
Weaver's funeral takes place in his home town of Plymouth, Devon, tomorrow.
