Hazen Audel Instagram – Wanna see some cool bee keeping? Here in the Yunnan Province in China the local Indigenouse Dulong people avidly make bee hives out of hollowed sections of logs and placing them on strategic parts of their land. It is wishful thinking for the most part. The chance of the right species of wild bees colonizing these logs is very slim. You can see in some areas there are almost countless hives being made and placed up through the hills and into the forest.
Most people in the “modern” world are familiar with the honey bee; Apis mellifera- the European honey bee. But that is a bee that has been hybridized and domesticated and is used for conventional honey production almost throughout the world. But throughout the world there are actually thousands of species of wild bees that don’t get much attention. Not all of these bees make honey or if they do it is in much smaller quantities than what European Honey bees are capable of making. Non the less they play an unimaginable importance to the ecosystems they are native to.
Here in this region the wild honey from Indigenous wild bees are what the Dulong are after. Often times species or specific colonies of bees will favor specific flowers. Giving the honey distinct flavors as well as distinct medicinal qualities valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Certain honeys can bring high market value. The most sought after honey comes from wild bees that are getting nectar from the wild mountain rhododendron that grows on steep, remote cliff sides.
The nectar-honey from this plant is highly toxic. At the same time as being poisonous it is also hallucinogenic.
If a family is lucky enough to have a hive with these bees and this kind of honey it is valuable enough to change a family. A means to raise an entire family out of generational poverty.
Discovered while filming #PrimalSurvivor China.
#beekeeping #natgeo #naturefact #hallucinogen #honey #chinesemedicine #funfacts #naturefacts #travelblogger #hallucinations #mastergardener | Posted on 27/Aug/2023 07:13:24
