The Honey Bee takes Flight – Sharon Crouse and Natasha Lyon
There is much I thought I knew about honey, but not nearly as much as I don’t. “The Honey Bee takes Flight” is an extraordinary photographic journey by Sharon Crouse and Natasha Lyon about honey and their tireless makers. However, it’s not the beautiful images of bees and their flowers that intrigued me. It’s the story of the work they do, and how they go about it; the value they add, and what they do for humans; the challenges they have, and how multifaceted they are. Inspired by the remarkable work ethic of Bees, Nedbank has been collaborating with the WWF Nedbank Green Trust to advocate for these essential insects that play such a vital role in protecting crops and ensuring our food security. I didn’t know of the Vus’mzi Project that harnesses the power of bees to drive socio-economic upliftment in rural communities, and I’m pleased that a portion of the proceeds from the book’s sales go directly towards this project. This, and many other stories are beautifully illustrated and explained.
“The Honey Bee takes Flight” is a passion project that showcases South Africa’s two subspecies of honey bees, but it is much more than a proud coffee table book extolling the virtues of Bees. It is an educational journey describing what a honey sommelier does; the evolution of bees; the different types of bees and their senses; how honey is made; what honey is pure and what honey is not; the different sources of honey; the way bees communicate; and the enemies they encounter on their daily pollination route. This book will lure the reader into a visual journey of what the honeybee may encounter during her foraging flight. As Poovandran Pillay, Executive: Nedbank CSI says, “the book ‘The Honey Bee takes Flight’ aims to deliver a conservation message of the essential importance of protecting pollinators, and the consequences of not doing so, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity and helping to create a future with human enterprise and nature – enabling them to come together to create a better future for all.”
For your copy www.lyonraw.co.za. Truly, you won’t be disappointed.
