Forest Honey
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We procure honey directly from the honey hunters of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Honey is collected from the honeycombs of the Apis Dorsata or the Indian Rock Bee. It gets its name from its habit of nesting beneath overhanging rocks. It is also known as the Giant Bee and is a tropical species found throughout South East Asia and the Indian sub-continent. This indigenous bee species lives only in the wild and is harvested by tribal communities living close to forested areas. The honey hunting season is between April to July. Honey hunting is considered a ritual by the indigenous community in the Nilgiri area. The Kurumbas, who are a major community who collect honey, perform a puja while going to look out for hives and mark hives so that others do not collect from the same hives. The hunter goes on a fast 12 days before the date of hunting. The honey hunting is done by a team which has a lead honey hunter. He ascends the ladder to harvest the honey from the cliffs. The rope ladder in itself is made of forest vines. It is hung below from the top of a cliff or a tree. A custom followed by the community is to have the brother of the hunter’s wife being responsible for holding the ladder in place. Five stings from a bee is enough to knock down the honey hunter, but the hunter braves these odds to collect the honey.
