Traders flock to Nghe An to hunt for bees to sell to China

(Baonghean.vn) - Autumn is the time for bumblebees to develop. Currently, in Nghe An, a group of workers from the northern provinces have come to hunt for bees to sell to China at high prices.

For about a week now, a group of nearly 20 bee hunters from Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, and Ha Giang provinces have been moving to the mountainous districts of Nghe An to catch bees and sell them to Chinese traders.

Mr. Nguyen Thach Hung in Phu Ho commune, Phu Tho town said: Every year, from August to November, we form a team of workers and travel nearly 400 km to Nghe An province to hunt for bees. Because the bees here are considered the "best" and sell for a high price.

After a day of hunting bees in the pine forest of Quynh Luu district, the team of workers dug up nearly 50 bee nests. Photo: Nhu Thuy

The bee hunting equipment is very simple, including a few raincoats with hats, goggles, gloves, boots, pickaxes and fishing nets to catch the bees. The group splits into 2 to 4 people on motorbikes to search through pine forests, cajuput forests or tea hills to find the hiding places of the bees.

After discovering the wasp nest, they begin their work. Usually, the hunters will use a large bamboo tube or a plastic tube to insert into the top of the mesh bag, the other end pressed against the bee exit. Then, dry straw is burned, when the smoke enters the nest, the bees will rush through the tube into the mesh bag. Once the bee colony is captured, the hunters only need to use a bird's claw to cut the ground to get the entire nest hidden under the humus layer.

If you are lucky enough to find a honeycomb weighing over 2kg like this, it will sell for more than 1.5 million VND. Photo: Nhu Thuy

"Currently, ground bees are popular in the market for use in medicinal wine, while pupae are processed into food. If brought to border marker No. 5, Xin Man district (Ha Giang) for sale, Chinese traders buy them for 2,500 VND/pupa and 3,000 VND/old bee. Including wax and pupae, the price is about 800,000 VND/kg. Therefore, many people in Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang... are eager to hunt ground bees for sale despite knowing the danger" - Mr. Nguyen Thach Hung shared.

Pure white, fatty wasp pupae are becoming a delicacy sought after by the rich. Photo: Nhu Thuy

On a day of bee hunting, the workers have to wake up at 4am, eat a full meal, and then travel 70 to 100km to find beehives. At noon, they only eat a light meal of dry food or leaf cakes and return to their motel in the late afternoon with dozens of kilos of beeswax. On average, each bee hunter earns 15 to 20 million VND per month.

Nhu Thuy