Persijs Muiznieks

There are about 25,000 bee species and more than 4,000 bee families in the world. Their origin is Eurasia. They later spread and are found across all continents of the world. Over time, man has learned to tame them and obtain honey, which later became the profession of a beekeeper.
Due to the high-quality properties of honey, many people consume it. Not only that. When used in certain doses, it is a valuable treatment medicine. However, are we all aware of the effort required by this little insect to obtain honey?

It could be said that the life of bees is seasonal. It depends on the work the bee does. The lifespan of a working bee is about two months- 55 days for servant one, and up to five years for a queen bee. From this, we can judge what kind of superhuman work bees do in their lifetime.
About 30,000 to 45,000 bees live in one colony which sometimes consists of dozens of hives, of which working bees produce 500gr. of honey has to fly to and from millions of flowers. The distance sometimes varies in kilometres. The longer the distance a bee has to travel, the lower the productivity.
The hives of wild honey bees (Apis Mellifera) are usually in the shape of a cone are placed in the mountains. Bee colonies establish bags to the steep rock walls, almost 80m in height, which are usually located near the water, hard to reach places. It is a vertical rock wall, with plenty of bumps and small caves. It's dizzying, and if you still have to work up there, you can imagine how risky the job is.

At Work
Every year thousands of people in the world are bitten by bees. What most irritate bees, and why are they attacking people? To this question, reply knew bee hunters, while working along the steep hillsides and know all the bees whim. There are special circumstances when the bees start to behave very aggressively.
That is the colony formation time. At that time happens fierce competition with neighbouring bees. A period when the bees are very sensitive to smells and colours. It is a false belief to use coloured synthetic clothing and to approach the bee family during the swarming period, as it often adventure seekers do, avoiding the bees attacks. In doing so, the bees are provoked even more. In this case, choose body covers in inconspicuous colours. Simple colours that better match the surroundings are the best that can be. Bees also see them, but they are not so provocative.

All around hives fly guard bees that are ready to die just to protect the bee colony. They often lurk on unwanted guests, not only honey collectors but also robber bees that parasitize the family. The challenge of an attack is often fast-moving and incorrectly chosen protective clothing. Never try to kill or repel a bee with fast movements. The bee will feel it faster and send a signal to the whole family, which will lead to an attack, as the old honey hunter used to teach.
The only way to access the colony, by a rope ladder. Honey is collected late in the spring or second half of summer when the bags are full and their colour is much darker. It is quite a laborious process. Along with the preparation, it takes almost a whole week. The higher the beehives are located, the more time devoted to honey harvesting. Sometimes vertical cliff walls are all covered with bee-honey-bags from one place. For locals, it is the only source of profit, sometimes quite lucrative.

Generally, honey harvesting cleanup participation takes five people. Careful preparations are being made. Already a week earlier, the clothes were kept in smoke. It is a coarse fabric of some jute material to the size of a sheet intended to cover the body down. The smoke intention is, to eliminate unwanted smells from clothes that could provoke bees.
If all the rules of hygiene are followed, the bees will only pay attention at the first moment, but then leave you alone.
The old hunters showed cold-blooded work on a cliff. The only their body cover was coarse cloth.
When everything is ready, over the cliff wall is hanged a rope ladder. The first task is to smudge the hive.

Slowly over the rope ladder, avoiding rapid movements, a hunter with burning leaf tufts approaches beehives. Feeling the smell of smoke, the bees for a moment remain peaceful. This moment, when the bees are slightly stunned, is deftly used. His assistant from the clifftop serving long pole, with intended bee-bags exempt from the cliff wall. It is not always possible to separate all honey from the rock. Sometimes only in parts.
Below the cliff wall, two assistants with a large basket in their hands catch falling honey. Care must be taken, because honey pieces. are very heavy, even up to eight kilos. When the last honey-sum has been collected, the hunter gives a sign to move the ladder to the next hive. And the whole process starts from the beginning. Working all day is possible to collect honey from four to six hives. It should be noted that the work is very risky
A lot of accidents happen when the old tow wicker ladders, which are often used for several years in a row and abandoned, hang over the rocky precipice. Sometimes the locals take a sip of stronger alcohol.
The filming took place in the village of Kodari, about three km from the Last Resort. On the banks of the River Kosi. The opposite shore on the highway side was quite high, which gave a wider view of the rural honey collection.

After work, I found an opportunity to meet the owner of the bees colony, who seemed quite tired, but did not refuse the interview.
How productive was the harvest? I wouldn't say that very good, however, enough to endure winter.
You say that the honey collection is seasonal. Given that bee life is short, how can you predict the next harvest? (laughs) These are wild bees and we can't influence anything there. Yes, as you mentioned, the life of a bee in the human sense is short. It is the queen bee who takes care of the next harvest, laying about a thousand eggs a day. She is cared for by care-bees who do not collect honey but take care of the family's survival.
How do you understand that tourists risk their lives, dress in special clothing, yet bees ruthlessly attack and bite them? At the same time, I see you working barefoot without any cover and you don't particularly react to the bees around you. Is there any trick?

Behaviour Important
Bees, like humans, have their character. It doesn't matter as much as you're dressed. Your behaviour is important. These adventurers remain nervous as the bees in their curiosity surround them and they try to repel them with rapid movements, even pressing them.
The bees feel it, attack, and start biting even more. The sting is quite long and often special clothing does not protect. It harasses both even more. The bite of wild bees is quite toxic. A person with weak immunity or allergic diseases takes a high risk. I will not hide that I have been bitten hundreds of times, the remark follows. Therefore, we provide additional ropes and all safety measures to get the victim to a safe place.

Is the quality of the honey different from what we could buy in the store? The buyer often complains about the presence of sugar. (laughs) We don't know anything about such things. Honey is collected and delivered to the consumer as is. Its colours may vary depending on the amount of nectar. For generations, we have been practising this job and doing everything we can, to ensure, that the buyer receives a fresh and fragrant product.
Before entering the market, collected honey is thoroughly tested. Fresh honey is rich in vitamins and minerals. Newly collected honey is toxic, and it should be used very carefully. Overdose can cause side effects like allergies, dizziness, vomiting, increase in body temperature. Wholesale honey has come considerably diluted. Unfortunately, the international market for wild bee honey is not open.
I looked at the hunter's healthy appearance and thanked him for his sincerity in honest work.

(Muiznieks is a photojournalist currently
staying in Nepal)