I finally got around to posting photos from our trip to Thailand over the New Year holiday and came across this gem. We found this tree trekking in Chiang Mai province in the north. The “ladder” that’s been hammered into the tree is for the beekeeper to climb up to a wild hive and harvest the honey. That is hard core! Our guide didn’t know much about the practice, unfortunately, so I don’t know if they wear anything beyond a veil for protection (or even that.
I’ve got a book on the history of beekeeping with some amazing pictures of beekeepers harvesting honey from cliff-hanging hives. That is truly hard-core. They lower themselves from ropes and cut the combs into buckets, and all this wearing only loinclothes. I wanted to scan in the photo, but can’t seem to find the book. I did find some interesting pictures on the Internet of various traditional beekeeping methods, though. Click the photo to go to the article.
