The seduction of the honeybee : and what it means for you and me / photographs, Craig P. Burrows.

"As beautiful as flowers appear to the human eye, their sensual display is designed to seduce pollinators - the majority of which are bees - to fulfil their primary purpose of reproduction. Photographer Craig P. Burrows has spent the last ten years photographing flowers bathed in ultraviolet light - the same part of the spectrum that makes bee vision special. Here we can peek into a secret world of brilliant colours and dazzling light, otherwise invisible to you and me, so that we might better understand the life of a bee. An accompanying text from some of the world's leading bee, pollination and medical experts explores our unfolding knowledge of the power of nature and the extraordinary role the honeybee plays in the future vitality, immunity and longevity of humankind"--Book jacket front flap.

"Craig P. Burrows is a botanical photographer specializing in alternative-light photography. He has spent almost a decade documenting flora through infrared and ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF) photography, with his images representing a spectacular world otherwise hidden to the human eye. ... He lives in California, USA. Hick Worthington is a professional writer and the founder of The Tuesday Club, a purpose-driven creative collective based in Auckland, New Zealand"--Book jacket back flap.

Includes bibliographical references.

Prologue -- Introduction -- 01./ The gift of life. -- Introduction -- Through the eyes of a bee -- The electromagnetic spectrum -- How flowers pay for sex -- Nature's sex workers -- Some of the better-known of the lesser-known bees -- The anatomy of a honeybee -- The anatomy of a flower -- Hive society -- More bees please -- Predators, pests, parasites and plagues : the perils and problems affecting our precious pollinators -- 02./ The cloak of immunity. -- Introduction -- Collapse of the colonies -- A world without bees -- Nectar of the gods -- The forest healer -- The mānuka tree : nature's great healer -- Pollinator populations -- Land of milk and honey -- 03./ The pursuit of immortality -- Introduction -- What this means for you and me -- Elixir of life : the lifespan of the queen bee versus the humble human -- Medicinal mānuka -- We didn't know how it worked, but it did -- Manuka's magic ingredient : MGO -- The honeybee and the human -- Epilogue / Nick Worthington -- Index of plant species.