The bees are guarding gallons of a sticky, reddish fluid known as mad honey ... the village of Saddi, in Nepal’s Hongu River Valley. Boys return to Saddi after harvesting firewood.

For centuries, the Gurungs have been the only people to harvest "mad honey" from their cliff in Nepal. The honey has hallucinogenic properties, and harvesting it is a big part of the Gurungs' culture.

In his absence, anyone he has assigned or his family members can harvest the honey from the tree hole,” Ramaraj said. Though wild trees dot the expanse of the Shola forests, every honey ...