How one hundred people spent the night under a bee tree

THE MOON HAS SET, and the forest is in darkness. It is just after 2.30 am, but there is shouting, Turun hitam manis, ikut bintang. “Please come down, follow the falling stars” it is the call of the honey hunters as they plunder the colonies of the giant honeybee Apis dorsata.

The “falling stars” are glowing embers. These shower from the ends of huge burning torches made from bark and roots. As one honey hunter harvests colony, another hunter thumps the torch against the tree branch, and embers shower down from it. The bees are enticed to follow these sparks of light as they slowly fall to earth. While the bees leave their precious nest unguarded, the honey hunter takes the opportunity for plunder.

But in this case, the honey hunters were not working alone in the night. At the foot of the bee tree were 100 bee enthusiasts who had bee tree were 100 bee enthusiasts who had come to witness the spectacle. This was the opening event of the Tropical Bees and The Environment Conference, held in March in the forest of northern Peninsular Malaysia.

Earlier that night everyone had assembled in a clearing in the forest for discussion about the forest. Is ecotourism viable way to help sustain it? Environmentalist David Bellamy led the debate, outlining the case for and against, and reminding all that tourism is fast growth industry which cannot be ignored: tourist numbers will double in the next decade.

During previous days the honey hunters had built their. ‘ladder’ from poles and rattan, and prepared the torches. On the night of honey hunting they waited until the moon had completely set before they started collecting honey otherwise bees can apparently see to sting them. After preliminary prayers at the base of the tree, the three hunters quickly climbed up, about 35 m, into the crown of the tree. Over the next three hours they did their work, harvesting 20 colonies of bees. As combs were harvested they were placed in leather honey baskets for lowering with a pulley system to the forest floor.

The whole operation is run by the group leader Pawan lebah, ‘the honey doctor’, who calls instructions to the team, and also to the bees. The bees are ‘serenaded’, they are addressed with respect, and indirectly:

“Please come down, black but sweet” (the honeybee)

Honey is referred to as air (water) and stings as anas (heat). The bees are addressed as important friends who must be asked to give their honey to the humans.

By 5.30 am the first birds were calling and at last the honey hunters came climbing back down the tree. They then started on the work of squeezing honey from the combs they had harvested. March is the end of the hone hunting season in this area surviving colonies will soon be migrating from this bee tree to another area. As for the spectators - a long procession of small pocket torches was all that could be seen as the observers made their way along the path out of the forest, and to a welcome breakfast.

After this memorable event, and a rest day, the Conference followed more conventional format, with three days of scientific presentations on aspects of tropical bees, their biology and exploration Scientists are revealing plenty of new information about the many different bee species and their predators which exist in Asia There are at least six different species of Asian honeybees, and of course each show differences in biology and behaviour according to the niche they fill. The more fascinating detail that 1s discovered of their behaviour, the more questions arise. Information presented at the Conference will be published in the Conference Proceedings.

Dr Makhdzir Mardan and the Malaysian Bee Research and Development Team masterminded this exceptional event. They found good venue - a brand new Holiday Inn complex sited in the forest, itself hoping to encourage ecotourism. Well before the event they attracted widespread media interest and sponsorship Local teams were mobilised to prepare for the influx of visitors to this remote area. Thus the event itself was well supported with people from over 30 countries participating The consequence of all this must be improved appreciation and knowledge of these bees. their role in the forest and value for rural societies.