Sold at high prices, people in the mountainous region of Nghe An eagerly hunt and peel beehives
Huy Thu•DNUM_BCZAHZCACD 10:53
(Baonghean.vn) - Because beehives are expensive, people in the mountainous areas of Nghe An brave the heat to go into the forest to hunt for bees. The buying and selling of bee pupae is bustling. Localities also warn that hunting beehives with fire can cause forest fires.
These days, many people in Thanh Chuong district flock to the forest to hunt for bees. They go in groups, each group has 2-3 people. At around 5am, the bee hunting groups set off for the mountains, bringing with them food, water, knives, protective clothing to catch bees... Photo: Huy ThuThis year, people not only hunt for painted bee nests, bee-dang nests..., like last year, but also for yellow bee nests (trang bees). Yellow bees build nests quite low, mainly hanging under branches of acacia trees, shrubs such as sim mua, or vat. Yellow bee nests are quite easy to get, so many people hunt for them. Photo: Huy ThuEvery day, around 5-6 pm, the bee hunters will return home with bags of honeycombs they have just found. Having traveled dozens of kilometers, searching all over the mountains and hills in the hot sun, everyone seems tired, their faces scorched. Hunting from morning to late afternoon, each person can find 2-4kg of various types of honeycombs. Photo: Huy ThuAfter collecting the nests, people often bring them to the purchasing points to sell immediately. In Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong), there are 11-12 establishments purchasing beehives. The establishments that purchase the most buy about 40-50kg per day. The purchase price of bees depends on the type. Beehives with pupae are being purchased at 220,000 VND/kg. Photo: Huy ThuBeehive purchasing facilities often separate bee pupae for sale. Facilities that purchase a lot have to hire 8-15 workers to separate bee pupae every day. Photo: Huy ThuThe work of peeling off bee pupae takes place busily in the yard. People participating in peeling off bee pupae include both old and young people. This activity lasts from late afternoon until 8-9pm at night. Photo: Huy ThuMs. Doan Thi Chinh (63 years old) in Hamlet 4, Hanh Lam Commune (Thanh Chuong) said: Every day she often takes the time to peel bee pupae. The job of removing pupae is quite easy, but requires carefulness and meticulousness. Each working day, she earns from 60 - 100 thousand VND/person.To get the pupae out of the beehive, people often use tweezers to pick them up. They need to do it skillfully, making sure the nest is not damaged and the pupae are not crushed. Photo: Huy ThuBee pupae, yellow bee pupae... can be processed into many delicious and nutritious dishes such as stir-fried bees with fat, stir-fried bees with lemon leaves, bee porridge, bee soup... Photo: Huy ThuFor easy storage and transportation, bee pupae are packed into boxes and stored in the refrigerator. Currently, bee pupae are being purchased and sold by establishments for 250,000 - 300,000 VND/kg. Photo: Huy ThuShell beehives are imported by purchasing facilities at a price of 550,000 - 800,000 VND/kg. This is unprecedented. According to information from purchasing facilities, shell beehives are gathered to be transported to Lang Son, to China. The work of hunting and selling beehives and bee pupae also brings income to many people. In the middle of the hot season, authorities in some localities also warn people when going to the forest to hunt bees, not to use fire or smoke to burn bees, to avoid causing forest fires. Photo: Huy Thu
Bustling scene of bee pupae peeling in Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong). Video: Huy Thu
