Matthew Matheny, Mount St. Helens Survivor, Ate Berries and Bees

Mathew Matheny, a hiker lost on Mount St. Helens for six days, survived by eating berries and bees until rescuers came to his aid on Wednesday, ABC News reported.

The 40-year-old from Warren, Ohio, quickly tore through the water and snacks that he had brought along for his hike up the Washington mountain last week and was left with no choice but to scrounge for nourishment, KATU reported.

Rescuers first began searching for Matheny on Saturday and finally located him by on the side of the mountain leading up to the volcano on Wednesday, ABC News noted.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office reported that Matheny was conscious and talking when rescue teams found him, and although it did not appear as if he had sustained any life-threatening injuries, he was airlifted to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver.

Speaking about his survival tactics, his mother said she did not know "where he learned that," KATU reported, adding that he may have picked up some skills in Boy Scouts as a kid.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization recommends consuming insects for food security.

Indigenous people in Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and Mexico commonly eat bees, preferably the stingless kind, but wasps are a distant second choice, National Geographic reported.

Matheny appeared to have made some good choices while up on the mountain, and his parents said that he is in good physical condition and has a strong will to live.

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