Villagers across the north are combining leisurely days by cool streams and waterfalls with the collection of dragonfly nymphs, used to make chilli paste or added to spicy kaeng som soup.
While dragonfly nymphs and maeng taeb, a type of waterbug, can fetch hundreds of baht per kilo, most people collect it for private consumption as it may take up to a day to collect these bugs.
Villagers use their feet to agitate the bed of streams under rocks and stones, holding a sieve to catch the insects as they float downstream.
Here in Mae Wang, Boonsong Maikhamlao, 72, says that he is spending the day catching these bugs as they are a rare tasty treat for his family.
