Astonishing footage shows how brave workers collect wild bee honey from cliffs in China.

The fearless men rappel down the steep cliffsides in rock climbing gear before slicing off the bright yellow hives and collecting them as they drip with fresh honey.

Angry bees swarm around the workers for disturbing their nest but the skillful men continue until they finish the job - with the sought-after sweet selling for 350 Yuan (around 52 USD) for a kilogram.

A single cliff can yield up to 100 Kg.

Honey company Manager Aley Chen said their wild bee honey is unique to the remote Chuxiong autonomous region of Yunnan province in the southwestern part of the country.

She said: 'This honey is very unique. It cannot be found anywhere else in the world. We call it specialist agriculture because it takes a lot of work to harvest this kind of honey.

'The honey-gathering process is very dangerous. Those men on my team are very brave. This is why the price is high in the sops.'

The workers cover themselves with protective net gear to stay safe against bee attacks while sturdy ropes anchored to the top of the mountainside support them.

They then drill bolts into the rocks to create a pulley system with buckets and ropes that allows them to lower the harvested honey to workers on the ground.

Before climbing up the cliffs, the honey gatherers of Yunnan also release smoke which helps the bees to scatter. Most honey hunters in the province originate from the mountainous region near the border with Myanmar.

Aley said many have been harvesting wild cliff honey their whole lives.

She added: 'The honey also has medicinal properties. It is the nectar of mother nature.'