MALAYSIA'S tallest tree, the tualang, can grow to heights of over 85 metres or higher than a 30-storey building. The tualang (Koompassia excelsa) is a majestic emergent tree of the South-East Asian rainforests and is mostly found in the lowland forests of Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand, northeastern Sumatra, Borneo and Palawan.

The towering tree is best known as home of the Apis dorsatas or Asian rock bees, the world's largest honeybees and the most ferocious.

You will find the disc-shaped bee honeycombs hanging from the horizontal branches of the tree and each tree can have more than 100 honeycombs. Some honeycombs are two metres long and can contain as many as 30,000 bees.

The bees are said to return to the same tree, year after year. Apparently, not all tualang trees meet their "condition" for building their nests.

They are said to prefer the tualang tree because the branches are at least 30 metres above the ground. Moreover, the trunk is slippery, making it hard for honey-loving sun bears to climb.

But the tall branches do not deter human predators who hunt for honey on moonless nights in February and March. Honey hunters will climb the tualang without safety ropes or nets.

They will hit branches above the nests with fiery torches to create a "rain of fire". As the sparks fall to the ground, the bees emerge to chase the embers.

Disoriented because of the darkness, the bees will remain on the ground until dawn, leaving their nests unguarded for the honey hunters to harvest.

Honey hunting is an exotic tourism package offered by a few travel agents covering Pedu Lake in Kedah.