He is the most unlikely of beekeepers.

But shielded from the stings in his custom-made protective suit, Boneco the donkey has proved to be a remarkable success.

Manuel Juraci, 59, designed the head-to-toe beekeeping suit for his donkey to increase honey production in Itatira, Brazil.The unlikely pair are now among the most successful beekeepers in the region.‘The donkey is the only one in the entire Brazil that does this job,’ Mr Juraci told Brazilian television station, G1 Ceara.Of the 120 beekeepers in the rural town, Mr Juraci and his donkey Boneco harvest nine litres of honey each day – more than most farmers can manage alone.He turned to honey production 10 years ago when regular farming proved too difficult due to the region’s arid climate.The Association of Honey Producers recently approached Mr Juraci to see if he could produce custom suits for their animals.While he is still considering the offer, he said it was not only Boneco’s suit that led to his success as a honey farmer.‘Not to discount the others but Boneco is a faithful friend,’ he said.But Boneco isn’t the only beekeeping animal.Bazz the black Labrador was specially trained by Australian beekeeper Josh Kennett to detect by smell a killer bee disease called American foulbrood.Mr Kennett was forced to design him his own beekeepers suit after he kept getting stung while saving the bees.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az