Risking your life hunting hornets in Nghe An

Full-body diving suits are used by bee hunters to capture entire nests alive. Photo: XH

This season, in the hilly forest areas ofNghe AnThe hornets are building nests and reproducing, which is also the peak season for many people hunting this insect, considered the "god of death".

Mr. Cung Dinh Trung is one of the wasp hunters in Dong Ban hamlet, Lang Thanh commune (Yen Thanh). Mr. Trung said,hornetBees build breeding nests from June to August every year, so at this time the nests are large and have solid layers, so many groups of people go into the forest to hunt bees.

Because this species of bee is very aggressive when people come near, people used to catch bees by burning the entire bee colony to get the floor. However, using fire to catch bees can easily cause forest fires, so in recent years people have used protective suits made of canvas, denim, or soft rubber, with a hood covering the head to catch bees alive.

Wasp nests hidden in bushes. Photo: XH

When discovering a beehive in a bush or on a large tree branch, the bee hunter wears protective gear, uses both hands to catch it alive, and removes the layers without being stung. The bees, after losing their nest, will fly away on their own.

With many years of experience hunting bees, Mr. Cung Dinh Trung said that hornets often make nests in old cajuput areas. There are nests hanging on tree branches, and there are nests in bushes. To detect a beehive, just observe the worker bees flying back to determine where the bees make their nest.

Honeycomb is taken from a hornet nest, currently priced at 200,000 VND/kg. Adult hornets are very aggressive when people approach their nest. Photo: XH

Wasp hunting has been around for several years in many localities in Nghe An, including mountainous communes in Yen Thanh district. Mr. Nguyen Ho Son - Chairman of Lang Thanh Commune People's Committee (Yen Thanh) said that there are currently about 30 men in the commune who specialize in hunting wasps.

Usually each beehive weighs 2 - 4 kg, some beehives have 4 - 6 layers, weigh 5 - 6 kg, some lucky days can get 30 kg of bees, earning 4 - 5 million VND.

Bee hunters usually go in groups of 3-5 people to the hilly and forested areas to catch bees. Because they wear protective gear, are safe and quick in the process of catching bees, they also go to other provinces to hunt for bees. Becausebee pupawasp hunters have a good income, however, this job only lasts for 2-3 months, from June to the end of August every year.

Bee pupae are popular with many people because they are easy to process into food and are sold in many localities. Photo: XH

Wasps often nest in open areas, on tree branches, bushes or in roofs. The nests are multi-layered, shaped like balls or cabbages, with wrinkled surfaces, so people often call them devil-faced wasps.

Xuan Hoang