Seems like you'd have to have some pretty unorthodox thinking to want to keep a big nest of stinging angry insects who are defensive of their homes around you, and then to have the intention of breaking them open and harvesting honey. How did early man get it in their heads this was a good idea?
Hi, for questions about developments that took place in prehistory, it would be worth x-posting to our sister sub, /r/AskAnthropology. While there are some anthropologists here, there are more there, and with greater focus on earlier time periods.