A structured interrriew protocol to draw out the

traditional knowledge of the Aeta on bees, honeycollection and beekeeping was used. It also aimed to

draw out local understanding ofthe population on bees,,beekeeping or apiculture, agriculhrre and economics ofbees among the natives.

Results and I)iscuosion

l- The native bees used by the Aeta for subsistence

a. Alabat-Lopez

The natives can recognize three species

ofbees for honey hunting. These are pisukan,

ligwan, and lukutan or lukot. The pisukan are

big and build their single comb on tree branches.

Scientifically, they are classified as lp is dorsata

and are commonly called giant honeybees.

This kind ofbees produces the greatest amount

and quality ofhoney according to the natives.

However, they see it also as the fiercest of the

three kinds ofbees. They refer to it as ka-ag intheir native 1z ayta langaage. There are two kinds

of pisukan according to the color of its body.

One is puti that is whitish to brown in color,

and the other is bulikthat is skiped with black

to dark brown and yellow to dark orange color.

Except for the color, there is no other significant

difference between the two kinds of pisukan,

but they somehow believe that the bulik islessproductive and much fiercer than the puti v aiety.

Another kind of honey bee familiar among

the Aeta is ligwan or what is locally known as

laimot.Its scientific classification is Apis ceranct

or commonly referred to as Asian honeybee.

The natives describe this kind of honey bee as b.

relatively smaller than thepisukan.It also builds

its combs in the cracks and holes in trees and

in the cracks ofthe earth and in between rocks,

usually along rivers and streams. Similar to the

pisukan, there are two kinds of ligwan based on

color. There is one variety which is described

as madiklum or dark in color which they say

is somewhat similar to bulik pisukan even as

the light-colored ligwan is similar to putiang

pisukan. Similarly, the two kinds of ligwandisplay no differences in characteristics withone another, except for the color oftheir body.

Lukot or lukutan is the smallest in size

among the three. It is dark in color and usually

builds it nest in rotten tree kunks or in leaves ofplants. This kind ofbee belongs to the Trigonaqpp. species. The Aeta do not usually gather

honey from this kind of bees for they onlyproduce a small amount and the bees themselves

axe very difficult to handle. The natives say the

lukothaveno sting but they are very irritable and

may enter every part ofthe body, particularly the

head and its holes, when they attack.

All the bees in a colony are refenedlo as ina

or inqhin by the Aeta. They cannot differentiate

the bees as to the queen, drones and workers.

They say that they see no difference among allthe bees in the colony in terms oftheir size or role

and of other characteristics. Nonetheless, they

have an idea that a lead bee (which is somehow

referred to asthe reyna or hariby lhe natives) is

present in every colony. They also believe that

the lead bee is the one being followed by all the

bees in the colony. That is, wherever the lead

bee flies, the others also fly. They also believe

that there are males among the bees in a colony.

They reason that there are male bees since the

bees cannot reproduce if there are only females

among them. Still the natives say they cannot tellwhich is which among the bees in the colony.

For the natives, all ofthe bees in the colony looksimilar to one another.

Tayabas

The Aeta of Tayabas also recognize three

species of bees for honey hunting. These are

pulcyutan, laywan, and lulattan or lukot. Pulrytancorresponds to the kind ofbee theAlabat-Lopez

Aeta call the pisukan (A. dorsata). It is the

biggest honeybee in terms of size according

to the natives. It builds a single comb on tree

branches in the open up high in tall trees. Itproduces the most quantity of honey but it

also the most aggressive of the three kinds ofbees. The Aeta of Tayabas also know two kinds

of pulqtutan similar to the classification and

description ofAlabat-Lopez natives. They are the

common pulryutan and the kamabuy pulqtutan.

The latter is differentiated from the common

pulEutan by its color. Kamabuy coffesponds to

the bulik pisukan classifi.cation among Alabat-

Lopez Aeta. Aside for their color, the Aeta says

the kamabuy is different from the common

pulqtutan because the first produces relatively

less honey than the iatter.

Another kind of honey bee the Tayabas Aeta

knows is laywan (A. cerana), which matches

the ligwan of the Alabat-Lopez peoples. They

describe it as much smaller and less aggressive

thanthe pulEutan.lt also produces more combs

in a hive, which numbers about five to ten, which

are built in less exposed environments like cracks

in the trees and in between rocks or small caverns

in the ground. They are usually located along

streams and rivers. Honey produced by laywan

is also said to be less flavorful but much sweeter

than that of the pulqtutan's.

Lukot or lukutan (Trigona spp.) is also

known among the Aeta but it has no use to them

except for its honey produce which, at times, they

utilize as cough medicine. They describe it as the

smallest in size among the three kinds of bees. Itis dark in color and usually builds it nest in rotten

tree trunks or in leaves of plants such as palqaklawin or paypay am6.It only produces a small

amount of honey and the bees themselves are

very difficult to handle. They say the lukothave

no sting but they are very irritable and may enter

every part ofthe body, particularly the head and

its holes, when they attack. They recognize two

varieties - the common lukot (Trigona biroi) and

lhe mungo-mungo (Trigona iridepennis). They

do not see any difference between the two kinds

regarding the biology of the bees but the stnicture

of their respective colonies or hives. The hive

of the first is much bigger and heavier while the

latter's combs are composed ofweb-like clusters

of honey pots the size of mung beans (thus the

natr]e lnungo-mungo). Although most of the Aeta

inTayabas still seeno definite economic benefits

from this kind of honey bee, some of them collect

lukot hiv es nowadays because ofmarket demand.

The population of a colony is referred to

by the Aeta as tao, ina or inahin They do not

differentiate the bees as to the queen, drones

and workers" They say all the bees in a colony

are the same in terms oftheir size or role for the

colony. Similar to the knowledge of the Alabat-

Lopez natives, they know that a reyna or hari ispresent in every colony which all the other bees

in the colony follow. Still they say they cannot

really identifr the reyna,the &arl, or the workers,

in terms of characteristics. According to them,

the reyna or hari is always on alert and is very

difficult to find.

2. The indigenous practices of collecting honey and

harvesting beehives

The ancestral job ofhoney hunting is an act ofbravery among the Aeta since selected members ofthe said kibe can make this act. In addition, it is not

only the activity for survival but also the courage to

find sweet honey, or pulot, and brood, or anida,fromwild bees to the varied risks not only from painful

bee sting but also the tenacity to cling to towering

trees to collect the by-products from the pulqrutan

or giant honey bee (Apis dorsata); ligwan/layvan or

Asian hive bee (Apis cerana); and lukot/lukotan or

stingless bee (Trigona biroi).

This part illustrates the description of indigenous

tools utilized in hunting and the biologicalidentification of floral species used for honeycollection and medication against bee sting.

a. Alabat

Male and female Aeta have knowledge of honey

hunting. Honey hunters can be male or female, but

hunting is done most\ by males, regardless of age

and position in the community.

They follow no particular time or day for honey