The Honey Hunters of Sundarbans

It’s Winnie Pooh’s favorite treat. It’s sweet and sticky, and it’s all produced by an industrious and intelligent insect, the honey bee. Yes, it’s the honey! Bees and man have had a close relationship ever since the beginning of human civilization and honey collection is one of the oldest professions. While due to modernization, people are choosing more comfortable career options, the tribal villages of Sundarbans still practice honey collection to make a living. I was lucky enough to become a part of one such adventure during my last visit to Sundarbans National Park

 

It takes some mettle to wander into the dense forests of Sundarbans, which are popular for harboring the Royal Bengal Tigers. A scout informs us of a hive he spotted not too deep in the jungle and we’re off. 

The honey the men are after is guarded by some of the largest and most aggressive bees in the world. I don’t know what I am more nervous about. The fact that we’re looking anxiously for the Tigers or the fact that we’re going to disturb a bunch of bees who don’t like being disturbed, wearing not exactly modern safety gear. With a piece of cloth wrapped around our faces, we look like robbers preparing for a heist, and a heist it is. 
 

The men light some sticks on fire and then add green leaves to them, to cause smoke. They believe it mimics a forest fire, forcing the bees to flee. The trick is to get the smoke in quickly before the bees become too angry. The smoke however is a double-edged sword. It does help with the bees, but it also reduces visibility. A Tiger could very easily sneak up on you, unnoticed. I focus on the task at hand, diverting my mind from scary thoughts. 

The men get in and cut the hive down using a sickle, quicker than I imagined. “These guys are pros”, I think to myself. The men don’t harvest all the honey so that the bees can then recolonize the hive without having to make another one from scratch. This sustainable relationship between man and nature is something you can only observe in these most remote areas of India. 

We got away lightly, with no bee stings and no sign of a tiger. I finally got to taste the heavenly nectar and man! I can see why people risk their lives for this. But the courage and compassion of these people towards the natural resources of the forests are truly commendable. If all of us started thinking about nature, the way these people do, Mother Earth would be in a much better condition.