Just buzz-ness as usual... Fearless Nepalese honey hunters scale 250ft cliffs in pursuit of their prize - while under attack from the world's largest bees




For most of us, a pot of golden honey is only a supermarket away.



But for the Rai people of Nepal, gathering the sweet stuff involves a death-defying climb on home-made ladders - and a four-hour mission to extract the precious nectar.



To make matters worse, the daredevil hunters come under attack from swarms of the world's largest bee while perching 250ft up the side of a cliff.

Perilous: The initiates of the Rai people brave the cliffs each spring to gather the honeycomb of Apis laboriosa, the worlds largest bee

Risky business: Clinging to a ladder of braided bamboo well over 250 feet above ground, the men work for four hours to gather the honey by hand



The honey seekers fashion ladders out of braided bamboo to access their prize, the toxic rhododendron honey produced by the Apis laboriosa bee.



With no safety equipment and just a long stick to retrieve the honeycomb, they climb to dizzying heights until a nest has been sighted.



When the honey is within their reach, each man spends a painstaking four hours slowly harvesting it by hand.

Smoke gets in your eyes: Helpers light fires at the base of the cliffs in a bid to smoke the bees out

Delicate operation: The honey hunters use sharpened bamboo poles to slice through the honeycomb before dropping it to the ground for others to collect

Spotted! Having found two bees' nests, this man appears unfazed as he clings to the bamboo ladder by his feet The people from Bung valley leave each spring to brave the cliffs which play host to Apis laboriosa, the world's largest bee.

They use sharpened bamboo poles to slice their way through the honeycomb before dropping it to the ground for other members to collect.

Their only protection from falls comes from tying their feet to the makeshift bamboo ladders. Helpers light fires at the base of the cliffs in a bid to smoke the bees out, and the gesture inevitably prompts a massive swarm. As every swarm on the cliff will join the offensive, this can mean a 20 minute assault from over a hundred thousand furious bees.

Attack! The intrepid valley folk must ward off swarms of angry bees - the largest in the world - to gather the toxic rhododendron honey (shown right on a honeycomb)

Photographer Eric Tourneret, 47, who followed a group on a rare trip said: 'It is very dangerous work.

'Many, many people die doing it. The practice is dying out as the bees slowly become extinct.

'It is now just a ceremonial thing as opposed to a day job.

'Even though the honey is probably some of the world's most expensive, the Rai people refuse to sell it, instead sharing it among the four villages in their area.' Off to work: The Rai people carry their equipment to the cliff where they will forage for honeycomb

Brave: The people of the Bung valley place their trust in their woven ladders, which feel rickety but are strong enough to hold a man Mr Tourneret, from Paris, France, said: 'Despite looking fragile, the bamboo ladders are extremely strong.

'I used one to climb up alongside the Rai people and photograph them close up.

'Despite wobbling a bit, they feel a lot stronger than a normal metal one we use in the West.

'These people are very wise and know how to make nature work in their favour.

'Even though it is a dangerous activity, none of them looked at all fazed by the climb and process having been taught the skill by their fathers and their grandfathers before them.' Right at home: This climber (left) beams for the camera as he works...while another (right) enjoys the fruits of his labours

Although it is some of the most sought-after honey in the world, toxic rhododendron is - as the name suggests - poisonous.

An incautious consumer can often be left rolling on the ground with agonising cramps.

The honey can fetch a huge price in South Korea, but the Rai people prefer not to trade it, believing it has therapeutic powers.

Ceremonial: The Rai people treat their honey as a spiritual substance, and share it among the four villages in their area

APIS LABORIOSA: THE WORLD'S LARGEST HONEY BEE



The giant Apis laboriosa bee is native to the Himalayas, and builds its large nests on the south-western faces of vertical cliffs.

An adult bee can measure up to three centimetres in length, while a single nest can contain up to 60kg (130lb) of honey.

The bee's red honey, gathered at altitude, sells for about five times the price of regular honey.

It has an intoxicating, relaxing effect, thought to result from the grayanotoxin present in the nectar collected from white rhododendrons.

Men who harvest the golden substance are respected and influential members of the Rai community, and are addressed as 'guru,' meaning, 'he who knows'.

They work in special ritual clothes called lukspa, woven from nettle fibers. Although the Rai divide most village tasks between men and women, the historic honey gathering remains a male-only tradition, passed down from father to son.





