The world is full of miracles, most of which manypeople did not hear and do not know. One of such phenomena can safely be referred to Himalayan bees along with the ancient profession of mountain Nepal, called "hunters for honey". Rare travelers climb so high into the mountains and communicate with the locals. Even fewer Europeans who managed to observe the "hunt", experience unimaginable delight and respect, and then tell about what they saw.
Himalayan bees: sizes and varieties
In the mountains there are several species of these insects.It is noteworthy that they are territorially divided. Each species has occupied its area and is not removed far beyond its limits. Especially interesting are dwarf Himalayan bees, Apis florea. Above a kilometer above sea level, they do not fly, the house is built from one honeycomb, covering the whole branch. "Yield" they have low, to a kilogram of honey a year, but they are excellent pollinators.
Himalayan bees of the Apis Cerana species are also nottoo honey - five kilos of honey from the family. But they have a lot of advantages: they are very peaceful (hive decks can be located right in the niches of the walls of apartment houses), are not prone to mites and are well protected from hornet attacks. Dimensions they have the usual, and in Nepal are considered the most promising for bortnichestvo.
The next species is Apis dorsata.These Himalayan bees are very large, due to what local sometimes call them bee queen. Hives are also built by them, too, one-hundredth; in each one can coexist up to hundreds of families, and the nest by weight sometimes reaches two tens of kilograms. Often under a beehive, artificial objects - towers, bridges or buildings - occupy a place.
Laboriosa: a description
However, the most attractive from the point of view ofhoney, and the biological characteristics of Himalayan bees. These are the largest insects of this kind, in length their body reaches three centimeters. Coloring in laboryosis is not too characteristic for a bee: the insect is more black, with white stripes on the abdominal segments. This species of bee settles only in the Himalayan valleys, occupying territories from the eastern Mekong to the northern regions of Nepal, India and Bhutan.
The largest bee and its behavioral features
Life laboriozy has a strict schedule.In spring, bees climb very high in the mountains, reaching up to a mark of 4 thousand meters. There they equip a huge nest, sometimes reaching a meter in length and width. Here they swarm and collect a valuable product, and the honey of Himalayan bees of this variety is "stored" only in one corner of their dwelling. He gets up to 60 kilograms from the hive. At the end of summer, the bees curtail their activity and descend to the valleys, to a height of one kilometer to one and a half meters above sea level. Here they winter, forming whole live bunches, but not building honeycombs and reducing activity to a minimum.
"Mad honey"
What is famous for the largest Himalayan bees -hallucinogenic honey. You can not buy it in the nearest supermarket, and it's very expensive. The special properties of the product are explained by the fact that only high-mountainous laboriosy have the opportunity to collect nectar from the flowers of the rhododendron. A variety of varieties of this plant during flowering releases andromedotoxin. In large quantities, it is toxic to humans.
Honey collected from rhododendrons gets verystrong properties. He is considered a recreational drug and the strongest hallucinogen. However, at the same time, he also possesses curative qualities that successfully help in the fight against diabetes, hypertension and other serious diseases. Of course, you can take "mad honey" only in very small doses. Exceeding them can lead to death.
In small quantities, honey gives intoxication, a sense of relaxation, light dizziness and elevation.
Rhododendrons bloom not all-the-year-round, andthe hallucinogenic honey of Himalayan bees gets its properties only at the spring harvest. Honey, collected at the end of summer, is tasty and useful, but does not carry madness with itself.
Hunting for honey
In the mountains of Nepal there is a nation called gurung.The main profession of men of this tribe is hunting for wild honey. All of them are magnificent climbers, and for gurungs this is not a sport, but a vital necessity.
Children are involved in hunting from an early age.At first they only collect fragrant grasses and nettles on the way to places where Himalayan bees have glued their honeycombs. Becoming a little older, the boys together with women pick up the nests that fell from the rocks and missed the men.
To go it is necessary for tens kilometers.Hunters with honey carry bamboo baskets for prey; in one such capacity it is possible to place about two centners of honey. In addition, the professional equipment includes kilometer stairs and home-made insurance, as well as nets for protecting the face from the bites of angry bees.
Smoke fires are spreading downstairs.When the intensity of bee attacks falls, the hunter rises to a huge height. Sitting on a bamboo ladder, with one hand the gurung holds the basket, and the other cuts off the combs. Collected and empty sectors - hunters on the farm need a wax, and for sale it is taken willingly.
Fading traditions
The unique way of life gurongov slowlydies. The bee-laboriozy decreases every year in number: climate change and extermination of high-altitude plantations of rhododendrons affect. The popularity of hunting for honey and the government-sponsored home-breeding of bees have severely undermined popularity. Less and less youth are interested in such a dangerous profession. And the medicinal properties of "mad honey" are so interesting to pharmaceutical companies that the rights to "harvest" are transferred to contractors. Do not miss your own and travel companies that organize a "hunt for honey" for dilettantes, which leads to the depletion and destruction of bee colonies. According to forecasts, another decade is the maximum - and in the world there will be no giant honey bees, no "red honey", no hunters behind it.
