Tribal honey hunters such as Konds and Sauras tribes of Odisha and Kurumba, Irula and Toda tribal honey hunters of the Nilgiri mountains, Katarniyagaht forest tribes etc gets only one - two month in a year to harvest this honey which is a produce of Apis Labrosia & Gaint Honey bee. Tribal honey is one of the most incredibly versatile products mother nature has to offer. Tribal Honey is an amped-up version of the regular honey - nothing compared with what you already know as Honey. It comes from the nectar of the Eriolaena lushingtonii, Rhododendron flowers, Acacia donaldi and many more similar flora. Tribesman ventures for 15-20 days into the dense forests barefoot, a lungi (cotton cloth) tied around their waist and a 'Gamccha' (cotton towel) on the head. They take with them food supplies rice, utensils, bamboo, rope, ladder, axes and jars for honey hunting campaign which continues from April to May month every year.
The bees are driven away with the help of a smoker and the smoke from smouldering grass disorients the bees and the honey part of the hive is cut off. They do not cause harm to the ecology and wild animals and are trained to collect honey in a sustainable way so that after a hive is harvested the honeybees return and rebuild the hive at the same place.
In recent times, with reduced forest cover, climate change and government restrictions, it has become increasingly difficult for these tribes to collect wild honey. The early rain drives off the wild honey bees which hugely impact the availability of honey in the forest.
