Dimensions
138 x 222 x 29mm
Life is as big as the universe and as small as the honey bee. As well as giving mankind both sweetness and light - from honey and candle wax - the bee does nothing less than keep us alive by pollinating trees and many of the plants that we eat.
In 'Sweetness & Light', Hattie Ellis tells the story of this amazing insect and its mysterious world, exploring how bees have flown into our lives throughout history, inspiring and obsessing writers, artists, scientists and architects, and entering the languages and customs of people everywhere.
She describes the complex politics of the hive; how bees communicate by such manoeuvres as the "waggle dance"; and how they make flights equivalent to three circuits of the globe to produce a pound of honey, each bee secreting less than half a teaspoonful in its lifetime.
She tells of bees' collective power, the savage energy of the killer African bees swarming across America, and the lethal mechanics of their sting; and she examines issues at the forefront of scientific research, such as how best to harness honey's medicinal qualities.
Travelling from heather moorland to inner city, Hattie talks to extraordinary beekeepers from New York to New Zealand about how honey, the ultimate global/local food, is produced and used today. In a world under pressure, can its miraculous purity survive pollution and the monoculture of the modern countryside?
In this beautifully written book, Hattie Ellis shows us how the mysteries of bees and honey remain a talisman for all that is curious, fascinating, delightful and perilous about the natural world and our place within it.
