Recreational honey-hunting with honeyguides in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Abstract

In parts of Africa, people and greater honeyguide birds (Indicator indicator) cooperate to access bees' nests, from which humans harvest honey and honeyguides consume wax. We present the first study of human-honeyguide cooperation in the Kingdom of Eswatini, based on interviews with 83 honey-hunters and beekeepers, and observations of a honey-hunt. We investigated the current extent of honey-hunting with honeyguides, the associated cultural traditions, and the continuity of the practice. We found that honey-hunting with honeyguides is common in Eswatini, primarily as a recreational activity among young boys who herd cattle. Honey-hunters use various acoustic signals to communicate with honeyguides, such as an axe striking wood, verbal praises and whistles-including on hollowed fruit and plastic objects. They reward honeyguides with beeswax, brood and/or honey, fearing future encounters with dangerous animals if they do not. Skills are passed down by elders and spread among young cattle-herders through peer learning. Despite many honey-hunters reporting a decline due to increased education and job opportunities, and habitat loss, the practice is expected to continue. The largely recreational nature of honey-hunting with honeyguides in Eswatini suggests that this interspecies relationship can endure without economic incentives for humans, sustained instead by its cultural and social importance.-Please see AfricanHoneyguides.com/abstract-translations for a SiSwati translation of the abstract.