At the break of dawn, a group of men and women - the honey hunters - head deep into the forest in Phayao province, each carrying a bucket they hope will be full of amber syrup when they go home later in the day.
Honeycombs hang from the branches of large trees ready to be collected. PHOTOS BY SAIARUN PINADUANG
"Everyone wears protective clothing to prevent them from being stung," said Tan Jaidee, an adviser to the Banpi Community Forest Fund in tambon Wiang of Phayao's Chiang Kham district.
The locals arrive at the Banpi community forest at the onset of the honey-collecting season in March every year.
They venture well into the forest where men, wearing hats with veils, climb high into the large trees. As they get higher and higher, swarms of bees pour out of their hives to attack them.
Unfazed, the villagers begin the delicate process of picking the brittle honeycomb.
The honey hunters, as they are known in local villages, find it difficult to grab the comb whole because of the buzzing bees. So they can only take it bit by bit while being mindful not to spill too much of the oozing honey.
Srikham Jaidee, Mr Tan's wife, said the honey collectors are experienced enough not to be bothered by the bees. They know it is better to move slowly and carefully rather than flail their arms as that only makes the bees angrier.
Buckets are tied to ropes and then pulled up to the tree top. The hunters carefully place the honeycomb inside the containers before lowering them to the ground.
The women below manually separate the honey from the combs. They light a fire near the area where they extract the honey to create smoke that drives away the bees, which try to dive-bomb them from above.
An engorged honeycomb is harvested from the community forest, which provides the villagers with their main livelihood.
"Local residents take turns guarding the forest because it is a valuable source of food and income. This year, the honey hunters have come across at least 100 honeycombs in our forest," said Khru Tan, a respected teacher at the community.
Honey taken from the forest is sold to people within and outside of the community.
The honey is poured into one-litre glass bottles. For locals, a bottle of honey costs 150 baht, while visitors to the community who savour the delicious taste of this particular amber syrup pay 300 baht.
Proceeds from the sale of honey and honeycomb products go towards the community's bee fund. Income is used to conserve the community forest and the "bee trees" as well as to develop the two villages in Banpi.
The villagers regard the forest as a critical aspect of their lives. It creates jobs, generates income and provides food all year round.
"A team of three or four villagers spends the night in the forest to guard against forest fires before honey harvesting begins," said Mrs Srikham, the chairwoman of the community's housewives group.
She said, apart from the honey, the comb is a vital commodity. Honeycomb containing wax worms and larvae is believed to hold medicinal properties.
Mrs Srikham said people like to buy honeycomb infested with bee larvae as it is rich in protein. Honeycomb without larvae is ideal to be boiled down for wax.
"Some people go straight to the forest to buy fresh honeycomb from us. Honeycomb with larvae can fetch up to 150 baht a kilo. We also produce beeswax candles for sale," she said.
Sometimes, there are so many honeycombs in the forest the locals cannot keep up. They call a team of professional pickers to join in the task of collecting them.
Sorn Thana, 60, a veteran honey hunter, said he had been collecting honey from several different forests since he was 22 years old.
However, he has never seen such big and perfectly shaped honeycombs like those found in the Banpi community forest, which is pristine and unspoiled.
He and his team of two were asked to help with the honey harvest this year. Last year, the team was paid 6,000 baht to take down 60 honeycombs in the Banpi community forest.
This year, the number of honeycombs produced by bees has increased to more than 100 so far. The collection season lasts until the end of May, before the rains come.
Villagers help clean the honeycombs after they are plucked from the trees. The combs are also weighed to see how big they are.
Mr Sorn said his team will spend longer than usual to harvest the combs this year as they are noticeably larger than in previous years.
Some combs are up to two metres in diameter, he said. His team is expected to be paid 8,000 baht for their work this year.
Honey from a large bee hive can fill more than a bottle.
Honey harvesting requires courage and patience as the collectors have to stay up in the trees for a long time and put up with thousands of bees fiercely guarding their hives.
Mr Sorn and his team prefer to climb the trees in the morning to escape the hot weather. "We get quite hot wearing this type of clothing as air cannot circulate through it. We can still breathe, however. It is annoying that some of us still get stung," the 60-year-old said while resting in the shade of a "bee tree".
Srithon Jaidee, head of a village in Banpi, guarantees the quality of the honey produced from his community forest.
"The honey from our community forest is unique. It tastes good and is beneficial to the health and nutritious," he said, adding it is also known to help heal wounds.
"The forest is fertile with a variety of plants and flowers. Bees collect the nectar from the flowers all year round," he said.
The comb is best harvested in March when the quality of the honey is at its finest, Mr Srithon said.
Banpi community so far this season has produced between 100 and 120 crates of honey, each containing 100-120 bottles.
Techaphat Manowong, coordinator of the community forest network in Phayao, said honey products from Banpi community forest are a source of pride for local residents and that compels them to conserve the forest.
"Forests help maintain the ecological system. Banpi community forest serves as water and food sources for the locals. It provides top-grade herbal and wild products. I am one of those who is fond of the honey from the Banpi forest," Mr Techaphat said.
Mr Sorn and his team also earn a living by growing rubber trees. After tapping the rubber latex, they go into the jungle to gather wild products and harvest honey.
"Forests give us not only natural food but also extra income from honey harvesting," the 60-year-old honey hunter said.
Workers empty honeycombs into a large basket before they begin the separation process. The honey drains into the plastic barrel.
Villagers head home satisfied with the buckets full of honey they have obtained from the forest.
Golden yellow honey fills a barrel after it has been extracted.
Fresh honey is bottled and packed into crates for delivery to shops. The honey is sold locally and to customers outside the community.
