MAD HONEY HUNTING IN NEPAL

High in the Nepal cliff in the himalayan region:  Apis Dorsata Laboriosa commonly known as giant himalayan honey bee build its massive comb filled with mad honey which contains hallucinogenic and medicinal properties. In Nepal mad honey is not just an activity, it carries a cultural significance and traditional practice in ingenious community such as Gurung, Magar and kulung. Among 31 species of bees, only 4 species are found in Nepal:  Florea found in warm lowlands terai region which produces non hallucinogenic honey, Dorsata found in mid-hills with Mildly psychoactive honey if rhododendron sourced, cerana found in terai to mid-hills which are ideal for Bee-keeping and Laboriosa found in high Himalayas which produces mad honey with hallucinogenic and psychoactive elements.

Process of Honey Hunting

The only reason behind why mad honey is rare because it is only harvested twice a year, in spring season (march-may) and autumn (September-November). Mad honey hunting is a needs skills and experience. Climbing in dangerous cliff with local equipment is the toughest job. Every one hunter in the group is responsible for the specific task to ensure the smoothness of honey hunting

PREPARATION

In the first-place elderly people of the local community discuss and plan about the honey hunting day by considering the weather and other environmental assement. After that the group will leave the village and head towards the rugged cliffs in the settlement of himalayan giant bees. The local community performs ceremonial rituals to honor the cliff god or bee spirit “RANGKEMI” who is considered as the guardian spirit of bees and dangerous places, revered by the Kulung, Magar  and Gurung communities in Nepal during mad honey hunting. With shamans, they also chants mantras asking for forgiveness if they have disturb the bees intentionally and unintentionally.

Eventually hunters will gather their equipment which is necessary for hunting which includes several traditional gears such as

• Parang (Rope Ladder): A traditional bamboo ladder used for scaling cliffs
• Tokari (Bamboo Basket): A hand-woven basket for collecting the honeycomb.
• Uab (Bamboo Rope): A well-built rope to secure tools and baskets during the climb.
• Koili Chho (Hook): A hook to tie up the rope ladder to the cliffside.
• Saaton Stick: A tool to adjust the position of the bamboo basket during the harvest.
• Tango (Bamboo Pole): A long pole cut the honeycomb from the hive.

With all those equipment they trek inside the dense forest to meet the wild honey bees. A thick smoke is burned to distract the bees from the hives which provides confident to the hunter by reducing the risk of stink by bees

Climb

By using all the necessary equipment, the hunter climbs to the peak of the cliff, there a bamboo rope is tied firmly to a sturdy tree for the strong hold, this task requires precision be done very carefully even a small mistake can cause a catastrophic accident which could result in a fatal fall from the cliff. after that, the hunter descent towards bee hives carrying the bundle of smoky incense to disrupt the bees from the hives. Hives are fully covered with the black layer of bees. In the beginning bees turned aggressive when comes to contact of smoke, they turn into defensive mode by raising their belly in Sync as a threat display, as a smoke spread bees lose their ability to react and become numb

Harvest

Now the bees left the hives due to excessive smoke, the hive once covered with a black layer of bees is now clear, revealing the golden honeycomb, with the help of tango the honeycomb is cut from the hive and securely lowered down towards the group who are positioned at the bottom of the cliff to collect honey. The honey is filtered from the honeycomb to preserve its purity. Dead bees, larvae, and other wax are filtered out, and the honey is ready to taste after the successful completion of harvesting. All members of the group take a small amount of honey as a symbol of success without any issue.

How Does Mad Honey Effect Human Body

The primary active compound of the mad honey is “grayanotoxin” a naturally occurring toxin which is found on the certain plants on the Ericaceae family such as Rhododendron, Pieris, Agarista and Kalmia, among them  only Rhododendron and Pieris are native to Nepal. The chemical formula of grayanotoxin is C₂₂ H₃₆ O₇ meaning it contains 22 atoms of carbon 36 atoms of hydrogen and 7 atoms of oxygen leaving its toxic effect on nervous system. In the human body “voltage gated sodium channel” is responsible for the transmission of signal to nerve cells while consuming mad honey the grayanotoxin bind this channel which disrupt the normal nerve activity and causing neurological effect such as exited neuron, message jammed, delay of nerve impulses, which results in effect on control system, low heart rate, low blood pressure, black out  and unconscious. The grayanotoxin revel its effect in different phase, in first phase body fees numbness in second phase body feels dizziness and hallucinations in final phase

Insights on Apis Laboriosa

Apis laboriosa is the world’s biggest honeybee. It lives on high cliffs in the Himalayas. These bees build large hives in open air, often hundreds of feet above the ground. They live in cold, windy places where few other insects can survive.The bees work together in large groups. When they feel danger, they move as one. They lift their bellies and make a warning sound. This helps scare off animals or people.They collect nectar from Rhododendron flowers. This nectar makes the honey slightly toxic. The bees move between different altitudes depending on the season. They know where the flowers are and follow them.

For people in Nepal, these bees are important. Groups like the Gurung and Kulung believe the bees are sacred. They perform rituals before collecting the honey. This honey is used for medicine and ceremonies.But things are changing. Deforestation and climate change are hurting the bees. If they disappear, people will lose both a natural resource and part of their culture.