Description
The towering Tapang tree of the Borneo rainforest is known for being the home of the world’s largest honeybees, Apis Dorsatas. These honey bees build their disc-shaped honeycombs on horizontal branches of the tree.The honeycombs can reach up to two meters long and can contain as many as 30,000 bees. It is believed the Apis Dorsatas prefer the Tapang tree due to its height which can be 30 meters tall and moreover, the trunk of the tree is slippery thus making it hard for honey-loving sun bears to climb.Apis Dorsata honey hunting.The practice of harvesting honey is an olden tradition and still exists in many parts of the Borneo region.More than 50% of the honey produced in the Borneo region is harvested and gathered by native honey hunters. However, commercial farming or cultivation of tropical wild honey is on the rise because of the shrinking rainforest and also due to the fact that traditional honey hunters among the indigenous tribe these days are declining. Honey harvested in the wild are of untainted, limited source and thus more costly compared to cultivated ones.Related
