Coorg Kodagu Wild Cliff Honey Karnataka

The wild cliff honey produced by the Apis dorsata giant honeybee in the Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka, harvested by the Jenu Kuruba and Paniyan honey-gathering communities who have maintained the traditional knowledge of locating colonies in steep rock faces and tall forest trees, represents one of India most valued wild honey products with a distinctive flavour composition reflecting the diverse flowering sequence of the Kodagu coffee, cardamom, and forest canopy ecosystem. Traditional honey harvesting in Kodagu involves locating the large open-comb colonies of Apis dorsata on rock overhangs, approaching at night or early dawn when the bees are less active, using smoke from lit banana leaf or grass bundles to drive the bees from the comb temporarily, and cutting the honeycomb with a curved knife, collecting the honey in clay pots. Unlike beehive honey from managed Apis mellifera colonies, Apis dorsata wild honey has a more complex multi-floral composition and the seasonal variation tracks the blooming calendar of the forest and plantation, with the Robusta coffee bloom honey of March-April being the most prized. The Kodagu district cooperative markets Coorg wild honey under a premium brand for national health food and urban gourmet market.