Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[Adriaan]

Just found this amazing video.

WARNING..... DISTURBING VIDEO FEATURING TREE TOP FOOTAGE, SUSPENSE AND DRAMATIC/DISTURBING ENDING..... Do not watch if you suffer from Vertigo or are easily upset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VphmsPPBhHM

does anyone understand Bahasa Indonesia and care to translate?

kind regards

Adriaan

[Barbara]

Oh Wow! That was traumatic watching! I have put a warning on it as I found it rather upsetting.
Aside from the tension and suspense and vertigo of watching him working that ending was horrendous and without any follow up info, pretty disturbing..... interesting too.... but makes you realise how poor people will risk their lives for so little reward. Why would you do that if you live in a climate where you could keep bees in hives on the ground! And those spikes driven into the tree to climb it could potentially kill you if you fell against them assuming you were roped to the tree. Just scary!

[Adriaan]

Hi Barbara,
So sorry to upset you, I found the footage disturbing too at first sight but soon realised that it was the camera that fell.
Why assume the guy is poor? He has a camera and a ground crew to help him and maybe this honey is very expensive so it might be worthwhile.

I think honey hunting has been with mankind for a long time for obvious reasons. In the link is a fascinating piece of rock-art from spain, depicting a man (or in my opinion: a woman) gathering honey from a beesnest on a rockface, 8000 years ago.
That must have been A.m. iberiensis, known for their defensive behaviour.
I wander what safety equipment these people used to be able to perform this dangerous job.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuevas_de_la_Ara%C3%B1a

Do you realise that your warning may act as clickbait? we'll see.

kind regards

Adriaan

[Barbara]

Adriaan, I am so pleased you clarified that. I really did feel like I watched something horrific. I think the footage makes you so acutely aware of the dangers of the situation that when you get to that end section you don't consider there could be any other explanation but the one you fear. I'm not very good with heights and I'm not sure I would want to watch it again even with that new knowledge.

I don't mind if my warning has the opposite effect. I have done my part. People can't say they weren't warned!

I agree the cave painting figure looks like a woman to me too. It is fascinating and a great and ancient skill. I just find it unpleasant watching people taking life and death risks. It stresses me. I am sure that there are plenty of film crews that would supply a head cam to a local to take footage, so I don't think possession proves he is not poor. Maybe if he can afford technology, he should buy a drone to do the harvesting ..... how apt would that be!!!... although I am sure he must get a high out of successfully completing the task. Do you think that those pegs are a permanent fixture and the colony is harvested regularly?

[Adriaan]

Hi Barbara,

I tried to find some follow up on the young beehunter but coudn't find anything,
I did find this Malaysian documentary on the practice of honeyhunting. I think you can watch it without a caveat.

https://www.clipzui.com/video/s3c4r5l2v2d5x3w4y5u4u3.html

All in all it is a balanced story about the sustainabillity of the practice of honeyhunting in tropical rainforrests.

Beekeeping in boxes has also been practiced for centuries in the tropics, originally it was the local Apis cerana (the eastern honeybee) that was in use.
Introducing the western honeybee (A. mellifera) to these parts off the world caused the varroa mite to jump species (from A. cerana). Probably soon to be followed by the tropilaelaps mite from A. dorsata.

kind regards

Adriaan