‘Fraught with danger’: wild honey gathering in Nepal – in pictures
For generations the Gurung community in Taap, about 175km (110 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu, and other villages in the districts of Lamjung and Kaski, have scoured the steep Himalayan cliffs for honey. The villagers say the proceeds, split among them, are drying up as the number of hives has declined over the past decade, although some also earn a living from growing crops of rice, corn, millet and wheat
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Villagers cut bamboo into thin strips to make rope for the ladder used during honey hunting near Taap
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Aita Prasad Gurung, 40, makes preparations for the honey collecting, which he said is ‘fraught with danger of falling’
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Water bursts from the pipeline at the Upper Chhandi Khola hydropower project, which runs down the Chhandi river near Taap, where the honey collecting takes place
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The villagers cut wood to make the rungs of the ladder for the hunt
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Smoke is used to get bees to move away from the honeycomb so that villagers can collect it
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The women of the village gather to observe the spectacle
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Aita, left, and two fellow villagers stand on makeshift metal scaffolding as they cut the honeycomb
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Honey hunting is hungry work, and food is shared to keep up the villagers’ energy levels
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Leaves are burnt at the bottom of the cliff to create smoke, driving the bees away from the honeycomb
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Aita cuts a honeycomb as he hangs on to a ladder, made by villagers using bamboo and tree trunks, while harvesting honey from the cliff
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Aakhit Gurung, 17, covers his face using a net as he arrives to observe the honey hunting
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Aita must avoid bee stings and deal with smoke while collecting the honey
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Bashanta Gurung, 18, is carried away from the cliff face towards safety after collapsing from bee stings
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The metal scaffolding allows the villagers to use a long bamboo pole to reach hives as opposed to using the bamboo ladder
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Tek Prasad Gurung, 64, takes a bite from freshly-harvested honeycomb
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Villagers carry ‘gagri’ vessels, normally used to transport or store water, containing some of this year’s honey yield
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