Kalpetta (KER) (PTI): Unseasonal rains, seen as a sign of climate change, have sharply brought down the yield of wild honey in Kerala's Wayanad regions this year, depriving the hard-pressed tribals of their supplementary income.

Torrential rains and strong winds have caused mass-dropping of flowers in deep forests, forcing the bees to move in drones to greener pastures to nest and extract nectar.

While a total of 15,000 kg of wild honey was collected in the summer last year, the yield was estimated to be as low as 1500 kg this season, Secretary of Sulthan Bathery Scheduled Tribes Co-operative Society, P M Goerge, told PTI.

"Heavy downpour at the wrong time of the year had made bees to fly away and seek shelter on tall trees, rock crevices or termite hills," Kumaran, the tribal chief of Rampally colony, said.

"You won't get honey when flowers are not there. Many of us who had made arduous trek deep into the forests only to return with empty hands as we could not spot much beehives this year", Kumararan, who had several years of beehive spotting honey extraction experience, said.

Wayanad district, which accounts for the bulk of wild honey in extracted from Kerala, yielded a total of 27,000 kg in 2006-07, but, going by the trend, the output was going to plummet this year, Goerge said.

Wild honey is mostly purchased by ayurvedic drug makers, whose demand for natural, unudelterated honey has been on the rise.

Tribals who were on honey collection had also reported that they saw honey combs fallen off the tree branches due to powerful winds and rains.

Wild honey is one of the forest produces whose collection and extraction is the preserve of tribals in the state.

The honey collected by the tribals are procured and marketed by Scheduled Tribe Co-oeratives which has a state-level apex body.

In Wayanad, it is Kattunaikkar tribe, also known as Then Kurumar, are the traditional honey collectors but in recent times other tribes had also started honey hunting as it offered a supplementary income in lean months.

According to Kumaran, honey collection is not as sweet a job as the thick syrup it yields.

"Bees set up honey combs on top of tall trees, hollow trunks or rock cliffs. We have to suffer the sting and it is not easy to escape when the bees attack in droves," he said.

The common varities of bees found in Wayanad region are rock bees (apis dorsata), little honey bee (apis florae) and stingless bees.