A large kayu tree in a monastery in Phu Phan district of Sakon Nakhon province has become a highly popular visiting spot for a particular kind of "tourist" -- bees.

At Dong Chompoo Phan temple stands a more than century-old kayu tree which has grown unusually high to about 30 metres. Nestling within its tangled branches are an incredible number of beehives, more than 100, with some as large as a metre, according to a report in Matichon.

Sunee Chanseeda, a 73-year-old laywoman who helps to sweep the temple grounds, said giant honey bees have been making their beehives in this tree for a long time and the number keeps increasing each year. The temple is home to only one monk, the abbot Damgueng.

What has surprised Ms Sunee is that the bees seem to want to gather only on this particular tree. She said generally people can visit the temple without being hurt by the bees but anyone who tries to steal honey from the hives usually ends up with a painful lesson.

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