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Honey Hunting on the Cliffs of China’s Yunnan Province (17 photos)

Kevin Frayer, a photographer with Getty Images, recently went honey hunting with a group of ethnic Lisu people in China’s mountainous Yunnan province. The “cliff honey” is coveted in China, and can sell for up to $50 USD per kilogram. Frayer: “Honey hunters face swarms of bees and get stung repeatedly while suspended from rope ladders. Lower hives can often be reached with wooden ladders or poles. Hunters suit up in protective gear and use smoke to scatter the giant Himalayan honey bees from their hives to reduce the risk of confrontation, but there are literally thousands of them in each hive. An adult Himalayan honey bee, the world’s largest honey bee species, can measure 3 centimeters in size.” The honey harvest, long a part of the cultural tradition of the Lisu people, may also be under threat. “Some honey hunters claim they are finding fewer hives than in the past because bee populations are impacted by heavy pesticide use among local farmers and global warming.”