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59 pictures found
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Here, time stands still. This same phantasmagoric harvest spectacle was taking place 30,000 years ago, when the first honey hunters faced the savage
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
Here, time stands still. This same phantasmagoric harvest spectacle was taking place 30,000 years ago, when the first honey hunters faced the savage swarms. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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colony of Indonesian and Malaysian Giant Bee (Apis dorsata binghami), colony often installed suspended under branches of Koompassia excelsa, also
© Sylvain Cordier / Biosphoto
© Sylvain Cordier / Biosphoto
colony of Indonesian and Malaysian Giant Bee (Apis dorsata binghami), colony often installed suspended under branches of Koompassia excelsa, also called Tualang or Silverbark Tualang or Honey Tree. Giant honey bee colony {Apis Dorsata}, Deramakot Forest Reserve which is a nature reserve in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, Northern Borneo, Southeast Asia
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colony of Indonesian and Malaysian Giant Bee (Apis dorsata
© Sylvain Cordier / Biosphoto
© Sylvain Cordier / Biosphoto
colony of Indonesian and Malaysian Giant Bee (Apis dorsata binghami), colony often installed suspended under branches of Koompassia excelsa, also called Tualang or Silverbark Tualang or Honey Tree. Giant honey bee colony {Apis Dorsata}, Deramakot Forest Reserve which is a nature reserve in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, Northern Borneo, Southeast Asia
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The Honey Nights. The harvesting of a honey board during the day has to be quick. The harvester climbs the tree, smokes abundantly with the smoker
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The harvesting of a honey board during the day has to be quick. The harvester climbs the tree, smokes abundantly with the smoker and within a few minutes cuts the end of the comb. Then he climbs back down and onto the boat that immediately sails away to avoid the many attacks and also let the bees return to their nest. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. On his 52-years-old pirogue, Suharjo, fisherman
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. On his 52-years-old pirogue, Suharjo, fisherman and beekeeper, brings the honey from his harvest to the association APDS. Eighteen tons of honey were produced in 2014 by the members of the APDS. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The honey comb is cut cleanly. The honey harvester leaves a bit of honey on the comb, as well as the pollen and the brood. In the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The honey comb is cut cleanly. The honey harvester leaves a bit of honey on the comb, as well as the pollen and the brood. In the day, most of the bees chased away during the harvest return to their comb. If the flowers continue to blossom, they bring honey back to the comb again and the collectors will return a week later to again harvest the honey. This semi-domestication is an ingenious means of countering the natural instinct of the giant bees, which migrate over several hundred kilometers each year and easily change nests. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. In the middle of the day, the bees are chased from their nest with the help of a smoker. The smoke keeps the guardian bees at bay
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. In the middle of the day, the bees are chased from their nest with the help of a smoker. The smoke keeps the guardian bees at bay and the leaves at the end of the smoke are used to sweep away the most recalcitrant. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Portrait of Suriadi, 29 years old, member of the association APDS and owner of nearly three hundred honey boards. In 2014, the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Portrait of Suriadi, 29 years old, member of the association APDS and owner of nearly three hundred honey boards. In 2014, the swarms of 123 tikungs produced 250 kilos of honey. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Suriadi, from the association APDS, leaves for the harvest. The beekeepers association of Danau Sentarum recommends the daily
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Suriadi, from the association APDS, leaves for the harvest. The beekeepers association of Danau Sentarum recommends the daily harvest to its members. To work faster and with less danger, it advises that three people participate: the boat's pilot, an assistant who retrieves the honey and the harvesters. Working in groups allows them to harvest even more nests, twenty or so in a few hours. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Day harvest by three people: the boat's driver, a helper who recovers the honey and harvests it. Group harvesting allows more nests
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Day harvest by three people: the boat's driver, a helper who recovers the honey and harvests it. Group harvesting allows more nests to be harvested, some twenty in a few hours. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. At the APDS association's premises, Suriadi, 29 years old, takes care of production. He checks the honey's quality and also
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. At the APDS association's premises, Suriadi, 29 years old, takes care of production. He checks the honey's quality and also monitors the dehydrating process that lowers the honey's moisture content from 27% to 21%, an indispensable step that prevents rapid fermentation and thus allows for the marketing of the honey. APDS produced 18 tons of honey in 2014 in the territory covered by six villages. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The making of honey boards or tikung in the village of Lubak Mawang. The boards are cut and then their lower surface is rubbed with
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The making of honey boards or tikung in the village of Lubak Mawang. The boards are cut and then their lower surface is rubbed with wax to increase the chances of attracting the swarms. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Giant Honey bees (Apis dorsata) on their brood. Borneo, Indonesia
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Giant Honey bees (Apis dorsata) on their brood. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Scenes of daily life in the fishing village of Lubak Mawang with its houses on piles. Life in the village revolves around fishing
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Scenes of daily life in the fishing village of Lubak Mawang with its houses on piles. Life in the village revolves around fishing activities. The villagers get up early, fish and process their catch. Just before nightfall, they bathe themselves in the river. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The day after the harvest, in the village of Lubak Mawang, the men from Pak Hamsah's family prepare the honey to be sold. They cut
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The day after the harvest, in the village of Lubak Mawang, the men from Pak Hamsah's family prepare the honey to be sold. They cut the combs and filter the nectar. For the start of this season, the harvest was meager: only 18kg were extracted the previous evening. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The day after the harvest, in the village of Lubak Mawang, the men from Pak Hamsah's family prepare the honey to be sold. They cut
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The day after the harvest, in the village of Lubak Mawang, the men from Pak Hamsah's family prepare the honey to be sold. They cut the combs and filter the nectar. For the start of this season, the harvest was meager: only 18kg were extracted the previous evening. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The day after the harvest, the men from Pak Hamsah's family prepare the honey. They cut the combs and filter the nectar. For the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The day after the harvest, the men from Pak Hamsah's family prepare the honey. They cut the combs and filter the nectar. For the start of this season, the harvest was meager: only 18kg were extracted the previous evening. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Boni, Hamsah's brother, is a daring climber who does not fear a few stings. The swarms are harvested at night to avoid the fury of
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Boni, Hamsah's brother, is a daring climber who does not fear a few stings. The swarms are harvested at night to avoid the fury of the giant bees, which are disoriented by the darkness. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The Datu Nahar lalau beneath a starry night with its foliage lit up by the climbers flashlights. Borneo, Indonesia
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The Datu Nahar lalau beneath a starry night with its foliage lit up by the climbers flashlights. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. In the foliage, Hamsah and his brother Boni harvest, with the help of smokers, ropes and baskets, about twenty nests of the giant
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. In the foliage, Hamsah and his brother Boni harvest, with the help of smokers, ropes and baskets, about twenty nests of the giant bee. This ancient technique barely differs from the harvests by the primitive people living on this island 12,000 years ago, as can be attested by the cave paintings of bee combs in the caves of Liang Karim situated in the east of the island in the Marang mountains. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. A nest of Giant honey bee (Apis dorsata). The white parts sticking to the branch hold the honey. The honeycomb also houses the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. A nest of Giant honey bee (Apis dorsata). The white parts sticking to the branch hold the honey. The honeycomb also houses the brood and the pollen reserves. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Seated on the same branch, Hamsah and his brother harvest the combs full of honey. Borneo, Indonesia
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Seated on the same branch, Hamsah and his brother harvest the combs full of honey. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Boni, advancing along a branch, holds in his
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Boni, advancing along a branch, holds in his hand a smoker made of ficus roots. The bees in flight, lit up by our flashlights, sparkle like little stars. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Boni, Hamsah's brother, is a daring climber who does not fear a few stings. The swarms are harvested at night to avoid the fury of
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Boni, Hamsah's brother, is a daring climber who does not fear a few stings. The swarms are harvested at night to avoid the fury of the giant bees, which are disoriented by the darkness. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. At the foot of the 50-meter high colossus, the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. At the foot of the 50-meter high colossus, the team of honey harvesters keep busy while the climbers prepare the scaffolding for the nighttime harvest. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The men from Pak Hamsah's family show the photocopy of a letter attesting to ownership of several lalau and signed by the Sultan of
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The men from Pak Hamsah's family show the photocopy of a letter attesting to ownership of several lalau and signed by the Sultan of Selimbau, Kiyai Mas Paspa Muhammad Haid bin Kiyai Mas Paung Sah, on January 21, 1913. Ownership of those fifteen trees for five generations now had been granted to their ancestor Hadji Suleman Paris. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni are the only climbers in the family and in the village. They also make the ladder of perches that
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni are the only climbers in the family and in the village. They also make the ladder of perches that allows them to climb a tree. With a ring of interlaced rattan, they encircle the tee and install little by little their wooden perches. This technique, unlike that of the jantak which uses rungs of bamboo nails driven into the trunk, does not damage the tree and allows for sustainable exploitation of these centuries old trees. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni in the middle of climbing a lalau named Datu Nahar, in memory of a relative who died from a fall from
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni in the middle of climbing a lalau named Datu Nahar, in memory of a relative who died from a fall from the tree. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Pak Hamsah on a branch next to a nest of Giant honey bee (Apis dorsata), the giant bee of Asia whose geographic area stretches west
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Pak Hamsah on a branch next to a nest of Giant honey bee (Apis dorsata), the giant bee of Asia whose geographic area stretches west to east from Pakistan to Bornéo and north to south from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni cut the honey from the giant bees' only comb. The precious nectar falls into a basket hanging below the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni cut the honey from the giant bees' only comb. The precious nectar falls into a basket hanging below the branch. The basket is then lowered by ropes. Depending on the abundance of flowers and the time of the harvest, twenty or so combs can yield a harvest of 100, even 140 kg of honey per lalau. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni cut the honey from the giant bees' only comb. The precious nectar falls into a basket hanging below the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni cut the honey from the giant bees' only comb. The precious nectar falls into a basket hanging below the branch. The basket is then lowered by ropes. Depending on the abundance of flowers and the time of the harvest, twenty or so combs can yield a harvest of 100, even 140 kg of honey per lalau. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The Danau Sentarum National Park in the province of Wes Kalimantan in Indonesia covers 132,000 hectares including 800 km2 of lakes
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The Danau Sentarum National Park in the province of Wes Kalimantan in Indonesia covers 132,000 hectares including 800 km2 of lakes and periodically submerged forests. With more than 3.6 meters of precipitation per year, the lakes are almost always full of water that then flows into the Kapuas River, the longest in Indonesia. The dry season, from July to September, is short. Many lakes dry up and forest fires are frequent. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. The moonless nights of December to March: Hamsah and his brother Boni are agile climbers. Taught when they were young by their
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. The moonless nights of December to March: Hamsah and his brother Boni are agile climbers. Taught when they were young by their father, they are known in the community for their dexterity and courage. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni are the only climbers in the family and in the village. They also make the ladder of perches that
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. Hamsah and his brother Boni are the only climbers in the family and in the village. They also make the ladder of perches that allows them to climb a tree. With a ring of interlaced rattan, they encircle the tee and install little by little their wooden perches. This technique, unlike that of the jantak which uses rungs of bamboo nails driven into the trunk, does not damage the tree and allows for sustainable exploitation of these centuries old trees. Borneo, Indonesia
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The Honey Nights. In the foliage, Hamsah and his brother Boni harvest, with the help of smokers, ropes and baskets, about twenty nests of the giant
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The Honey Nights. In the foliage, Hamsah and his brother Boni harvest, with the help of smokers, ropes and baskets, about twenty nests of the giant bee. This ancient technique barely differs from the harvests by the primitive people living on this island 12,000 years ago, as can be attested by the cave paintings of bee combs in the caves of Liang Karim situated in the east of the island in the Marang mountains. Borneo, Indonesia
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The first evening of the harvest, the men gather to spend the night in the hut of a herdsman, built on high-altitude pastures. Once again, the giant
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The first evening of the harvest, the men gather to spend the night in the hut of a herdsman, built on high-altitude pastures. Once again, the giant bee of the Himalayas put up a fearsome fight. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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Bolo Kesher, the Bung Perengge with his son Shimbu. Shimbu will havest honey as his father but for the moment he'is studing computers in a
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
Bolo Kesher, the Bung Perengge with his son Shimbu. Shimbu will havest honey as his father but for the moment he'is studing computers in a university. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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Much honey was lost this year due to the basket being poorly
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
Much honey was lost this year due to the basket being poorly balanced. The community will have harvested only about 250 pounds, too little to sell. The village council will decide to divide it between the villagers, who will put it to therapeutic use. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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The men responsible for recovering honey are the khudhapup (“khuda” means honey in Rai). They empty the basket into a large, repoussé metal jar
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The men responsible for recovering honey are the khudhapup (“khuda” means honey in Rai). They empty the basket into a large, repoussé metal jar before filtering it. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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The rebokipe are the ladder attendants (“rebo” means rope ladder in the Rai language). With their full weight hanging from the ladder, they keep it
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The rebokipe are the ladder attendants (“rebo” means rope ladder in the Rai language). With their full weight hanging from the ladder, they keep it pulled tight to facilitate the guru’s progress and move the ladder from one nest to another. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff’s eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff’s eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff’s eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff’s eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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Because of the nest’s structure, comprising a single comb, the
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
Because of the nest’s structure, comprising a single comb, the honey storage cells of the giant Himalayan bee are five to ten times longer than those of our Apis mellifera, which measure barely more than half an inch. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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The men responsible for recovering honey are the khudhapup (“khuda” means honey in Rai). They empty the basket into a large, repoussé metal jar
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
The men responsible for recovering honey are the khudhapup (“khuda” means honey in Rai). They empty the basket into a large, repoussé metal jar before filtering it. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
RM2105356JPG
For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff’s eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff’s eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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In the world of social insects, few spectacles are as impressive as that of a colony of giant bees, where 50,000 individuals can be seen at once,
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
In the world of social insects, few spectacles are as impressive as that of a colony of giant bees, where 50,000 individuals can be seen at once, tightly amassed at the top of an immense orange disc. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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Bolo Kesher harvest without shoes. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
Bolo Kesher harvest without shoes. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
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Scarves and bags plastic offer minimal protection to these men who have come to defy the giant bee of the Himalayas, intent on taking away the bees’
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
© Eric Tourneret / Biosphoto
Scarves and bags plastic offer minimal protection to these men who have come to defy the giant bee of the Himalayas, intent on taking away the bees’ honey and wax. Solukumbu, Nepal. The tiger men honey hunting
