Five people in their 70s to 90s from Fukui Prefecture have been chasing and collecting bees for more than half a century, contributing to the discovery of rare species.
All five of the former teachers studied the life of bees under Fukui University professor Katsuji Tsuneki (1908-1994), an expert in the field.
Tadao Murota, 72, and Chizuko Nozaka, 80, from the city of Sabae; Hideyoshi Kurokawa, 75, and Tadashi Tano, 76, both from the city of Fukui; and Yoshito Haneda, 92, from Ono; hunt bees four days a week from spring to fall whenever possible.