Duy Thanh is the owner of a large durian orchard in Dak Lak. However, around March every year, he ventures into the forest to collect tiny forest honey (fly honey) to sell to regular customers. As it is forest honey and only available in limited quantities, each liter of fly honey is priced at 700,000 – 1.2 million VND/kg.
Thanh said that fly honey bees are a species that only exists in the wild and cannot be bred at home. In addition, fly honey bees are small, and their nests are also very small, averaging only a few hundred grams per nest. It is rare to find a nest weighing over 1kg, but they produce very valuable honey, so as soon as it is collected, there are customers ready to buy it.
Golden fly honeycombs filled with honey. (Photo: Provided)
“Among the types of honey, fly honey is the second most delicious, only after wasp honey. That’s why it is also very expensive, with a market price of around 1 – 2 million VND/liter,” Thanh said.
“March is the season when bees go out to collect nectar,” which is also when Thanh starts going into the forest to find honey. The fly honey harvesting season lasts from March to June. It ends when the heavy rains come.
In addition to collecting honey himself, Thanh also collects it from foresters throughout Dak Lak. Thanh can collect 20 – 40 kg of fly honey every day.
Fly honeycombs in the wild. (Photo: Provided)
According to Thanh, the reason fly honey is so delicious is that the season for this type of honey is also the season when many types of wildflowers are in bloom. The sunny and beautiful weather is very favorable for bees to make honey.
The fly honeycombs are only the size of a fist or larger, weighing from a few hundred grams to over 1 kg, and are sold by Thanh for 250,000 – 400,000 VND/kg. If the honey is extracted, 2-3 combs will yield one liter, and a liter of this honey is retailed for 800,000 – 1.2 million VND.
Some customers want to buy honey by the liter for convenience, but most customers buy it by the comb because seeing the comb proves that it is natural forest honey. Moreover, the combs can also be used to infuse alcohol.
“Grade 1 fly honeycombs are those that are intact and not crushed. For orders shipped to Hanoi, Hai Phong, and some northern provinces, I have to put each comb in a separate plastic bag and then pack them carefully in a Styrofoam box. If there are only a few, I put them in a jar, wrap them in bubble wrap, and then ship them to the customers,” said Thanh.
Harvested fly honeycombs ready to be shipped to customers. (Photo: Provided)
Ever since she discovered fly honey, Ms. Tran Trang (Dong Da, Hanoi) has been ordering dozens of kilograms of fly honey every season for her own use.
