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STORY: In this remote village in Nepal, about an eight-hour drive from the capital, Kathmandu…

honey hunters prepare to collect from hives perched along a steep cliff.

As smoke billows up to clear the Himalayan giant honeybees from their hives, Aita Prasad Gurung cuts chunks of comb from the rock face, which then fall to collection tarps below.

It’s part of a tradition that’s been handed down for generations in several mountainous communities here.

It’s also an important source of income for the villagers.

But now the craft is increasingly under threat as some experts say rising temperatures brought by climate change disrupt the growth of bees, the availability of their food and even the pollination of plants.

Honey hunting is a community effort.

The hunters gather to prepare materials and equipment, like cutting this bamboo to make rope for the ladders used to reach the hives.

This particular honeycomb extract is also known as ‘mad honey’ for some intoxicating qualities that can cause hallucinations.

It sells for 2,000 Nepali rupees, or $1.50 per liter, and the proceeds are split among the group.

One member of the group said that 10 years ago they were able to harvest over 1,300 pounds of honey.

Last year, it was just under 400 pounds.

This is Chandra Singh Gurung, a former hunter.

"Honey hunting begins in mid-May every year and we were happy that we will get some income. But we are all worried now because there are not many beehives this time. Is it because there was no rainfall this time, or trees have been cleared? What do we do now? Villagers are worried."

Surendra Raj Joshi, a bee expert and livelihoods specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, says climate change is affecting the Himalayan cliff bees in multiple ways.

“For example, too much rain, too little rain, erratic and intense rain, long dry spell(s), heat and cold, you know, all these extreme weather conditions, they put the stress on maintaining the hive strength and the honey stock of the colonies.”

Joshi says the bee population decline also means insufficient pollination of high mountain crops and wild flora, which also has implications for the rural economy.

Temperatures in the Himalayas, home to the planet's tallest peaks, range higher than an average global increase of 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, United Nations data and independent research show.

Global studies show that a temperature rise of even one degree affects the growth of bees and cross pollination of plants, said an expert at India’s Energy and Resources Institute…

adding that climate change is affecting both around the world.