Harvesting honey can’t be all that difficult, right? Just put on a funny-looking suit and make a short walk out to the bee hive and get a jar-full.
Easy enough, right?
Well, not if it’s mad honey!
Honey hunters in Nepal harvest mad honey by dropping a handmade bamboo ladder over a cliff edge, burning green leaves at the base until the smoke pushes the bees off the honeycomb. Then, they cut comb loose with a long bamboo pole. Oh, and they do all this while hanging a few hundred feet above the valley floor!
Ok, so the difficulty level just rose a few notches.
The mad honey harvest happens twice a year. A team of ten to twelve men from the village will handle one cliff, and clearing a single site takes two or three hours.
No harness. No rope system. No bee suit.
That covers the mechanics of the mad honey harvest. What it does not cover is why anyone still harvests honey in this way, or why the honey that comes off those cliffs sells for more than any other honey on earth.
So, let’s dig in more…
What Is Mad Honey and Why Is It So Rare?
Mad honey is a rare, and as we mentioned, dangerously hard-to-harvest honey located on a cliff. This honey only harvests twice in the year: Spring and Autumn. The Himalayan giant bees (Apis laboriosa) collect nectar from rhododendron flowers. Rhododendron flower nectar contains grayanotoxin, which can have narcotic effects (as well as medicinal uses), which is where “mad honey” gets its name. as it can make a person “mad” when consumed in high amounts.
Three things have to line up for a jar of mad honey to exist. The bee has to nest on a cliff that a village knows about. Then, the rhododendron has to bloom, which gives harvesters a window of a few weeks. And then, somebody has to go down and cut the comb by hand.
Mad honey is reddish in color, and thicker than clover honey. As for flavor, it’s closer to sour than it is to sweet. Anyone expecting the typical grocery-store flavor is going to be surprised by the first taste.
Who Are the Gurung Honey Hunters?
The harvest of mad honey belongs to the Gurung, and in some districts the Magar. Both are communities of Nepal’s middle hills. Neither group treats the harvest as a business. Instead, it’s a part of the culture, with festival celebrations in the villages built around the hunt.
The cliffs that produce the most made honey are in Kaski, Lamjung, Khotang, Gorkha and Rolpa. Ask anyone in one of those villages, and you will quickly learn the rock face of the cliff where mad honey is harvested and the name of the family who holds rights to it.
The harvesting process is passed down similar to how other outdoor recreational pastimes are… by individuals carrying gear for people who are experienced in the harvest. A newcomer tends the fire, holds rope and hauls baskets for several seasons before ever touching the ladder. Then, the most experienced hunter on the cliff goes down first.
Everyone standing at the top of that cliff understands what a fall would mean, so no one gets lowered before an offering is typically made to Rangkemi, the guardian spirit of the bees.
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What Role Does the Giant Honey Bee Play?
None of the tradition, nor the mad honey itself, exists without one species. The Apis laboriosa is the largest honey bee in the world, with single adults reaching about 3 centimeters. And, it nests at high altitudes, between roughly 8,000 to 10,000 feet.
This bee resists management, as it will not take to a hive box. It builds one huge open comb on a sheer rock face in full sun, out of reach of most predators, and it moves with the seasons.
This impacts the harvest of mad honey in some specific ways.
First, the comb has to be reached from above, since there is no hive to open. Thousands of bees defend an exposed comb, and the hunters are working bare-armed (that’s right, now fancy suits). The honey worth taking sits in the upper section of the comb and has to be separated from the brood below it. And, because the nectar source is whatever happens to be flowering on that mountain that month, potency swings from year to year.
Because bee numbers across the region have been falling, this squeezes a harvest that is already limited by geography and seasonality.
How Is Mad Honey Harvested?
The harvesting process of mad honey has barely changed throughout history.
The team hikes in carrying everything by hand, arriving before the day heats up. A fire of freshly cut green leaves goes up at the base of the cliff, and the smoke fills the combs and quiets the bees. That fire is the only thing standing between the hunter on the ladder and a full defensive response from the colony.
The ladder gets anchored to a tree trunk or solid rock at the top and dropped down the face of the cliff. The lead hunter climbs down to the comb while the crew above works the anchor and the guide ropes, swinging the ladder closer to the rock or pulling it clear when the bees come off the hive aggressively.
A basket is then sent down on a second rope. Balanced under the comb with a long stick, it catches the honey section once the brood portion has been separated and the comb pierced and cut with a bamboo pole tipped with a sickle. Cut pieces drop into the basket, the crew lowers it, empties it and sends it back up. It takes two to three hours to complete the harvest of just one site on the cliff.
One the honey is back on the ground, it is strained through a cloth to separate it from the wax. Everyone present eats fresh honey on the spot, and the rest is split between the hunting team and the village.
What Tools Do Honey Hunters Use?
Everything for harvesting mad honey is made from what grows within walking distance. The prang is the ladder, braided from bamboo fiber or jungle vine with split bamboo rungs, with some measuring as long as 200 feet.
The tango is a long bamboo pole, with one version fitted with a blade for cutting comb and another for steering the basket. The tokari is the woven collection basket, lined to hold the honey.
Guide ropes worked from the clifftop control how close the hunter sits to the rock, and a wooden knife and wooden pot are used for handling the wax.
There is no metal hardware, no carabiners; nothing that would pass inspection at a climbing gym.
How Does Mad Honey Harvesting Compare To Harvesting Mountain Honey In The U.S.?
Here’s a look at a comparison of harvesting mad honey to harvesting honey in the Appalachian mountains in the U.S.:
| Nepali Cliff Honey Harvesting | Appalachian Honey Harvesting | |
| Species | Apis laboriosa, open cliff comb | Feral honey bees in hollow trees |
| Finding the colony | Known cliffs, held by the village | Tracking bees back to the hive |
| Access | Ladder and rope down a rock face | Cutting the tree |
| Season | Two windows, Spring and Autumn | Whenever a colony is found |
| Main risk | Falls and mass stings | Falling timber and stings |
| Status today | Declining, fewer young honey hunters | Once a real occupation, now rare |
Although these two types of honey are harvested in different areas and in different ways, the agenda is the same: Locate the colony, respect what it can do to a person, take the surplus, and get home safely.
Which Mad Honey Should First-Time Buyers Try?
If you’re looking to try mad honey, you should start small. Be sure to buy mad honey that names its harvest season. Potency changes year-to-year, varying by what cliff and which part of the comb it came from. The you can by sure that no two jars are exactly alike.
The label should indicate which season the honey came from, since Spring carries the grayanotoxin, with Autumn being the milder variant. It should give district-level origin rather than just the word “Himalayan.” You should start with Autumn harvest mad honey or, if you opt for the Spring harvest, use in very small amounts.
For a first order, a sampler makes more sense than committing to a jar. The Try Pack from Best Mad Honey give you a small quantity to try, which is enough to find out what half a teaspoon does without a cupboard full of honey nobody wants to finish.
Why Is The Mad Harvest Worth Knowing About?
You can visit Nepal during the Spring or Autumn months and take a Jeep from Pokhara toward the Kaski region to see the harvesting process firsthand. The local people are warm and welcoming, and with the right local guides, you can reach the harvesting area and witness how this rare wild honey is collected.
You’ll see brave Nepali honey hunters climb towering Himalayan cliffs using traditional rope ladders, smoke, and simple tools to reach the giant bee hives. Watching the honey slowly make its way from a cliffside hive into a jar gives you a very different understanding of what “wild honey” really means!
Cliff honey hunting is one of the oldest living traditions of the Gurung people, but the practice is declining. Fewer young men are learning how to climb the traditional ladders, and fewer bee colonies are appearing in some areas each Spring.
So, when a jar of wild honey lands on the table, it is worth asking where it came from and who went to get it. Some harvests are earned with much more difficulty than others!
Frequently Asked Questions About Mad Honey Hunting
1. When does the Mad Honey harvest happen?
Mad honey is usually harvested twice a year in Nepal. The Spring harvest takes place from late April to early June, while the Autumn harvest usually starts around late September. The exact timing depends on the weather, flowering season, and location.
2. How Much Mad Honey Comes From a Single Cliff?
Spring is an exciting time in the mountains because the rhododendrons are in bloom and the cliffs are full of giant Himalayan honey bees. A large hive can hold a lot of honey, and some harvests can produce around 40 to 60 kg.
But, getting that honey is not easy. The hunters have to climb high, steep cliffs, reach the hive, cut the honeycomb, and carefully bring it back down. One wrong step can make the harvest disastrous.
3. Do the Hunters Wear Protective Gear?
Traditional honey hunters in Nepal do not wear the kind of protective clothing you might see in commercial beekeeping. They use simple tools and rely heavily on their experience.
Smoke is used to help control the bees, while ropes and traditional ladders help the hunters reach the hives. Bee stings are part of the job, but the biggest danger is the cliff itself. The height, loose rocks, smoke, and difficult conditions make honey hunting a risky job. For many families, the harvest is an important source of income, which is one reason this tradition has continued for so many years.
4. Is Mad Honey Legal to Buy in the United States?
Mad honey is available for sale in the United States as a food product, but buying or importing it can involve food, customs, and labeling requirements. If you are ordering online, check where the honey comes from, how it is labeled, and whether the seller provides proper testing and product information.
5. Can One Person Do Mad Honey Hunting Alone?
No. Traditional cliff honey hunting is a team effort. While one hunter climbs toward the hive, other people stay below to handle the ropes, ladders, smoke, and honeycomb.
Everyone has a role to play. That is why a honey harvest is not just about the person on the cliff. It is a group effort involving the hunters, their families, and the local community.
