What is Propolis?

What is propolis? Find out how honeybees make it & what they make it from in this short introduction to propolis, nature’s antiseptic marvel.

Honey bees are very good at doing what is best for them. To the chagrin of many a beekeeper they make propolis and coat the insides of their hives with it. This stuff is sticky. And the warmer it is, the stickier it gets. It gets everywhere. On your gloves and bee-suit, glasses, phone, and car-seat. On your good trousers and in your underwear. That’s right. Everywhere. And, as most beekeepers know only too well, when it gets somewhere it is nearly impossible to get off!

When I started beekeeping, I got the advice to keep the tops of the boxes and the lugs, or handles, of the frames and the frame runners clear of propolis. This was done in order to make inspections easier. So, I scraped it off. However, after a while I felt I was upsetting the bees too much. And by extension, them me, and I stopped. Knowing what I do now about the role that propolis plays in bee (and human) health, I am very glad I did!

What is propolis?

Propolis is made by honeybees from antimicrobial plant resin. The composition of propolis varies depending on the resin or resins that were used to make it. It contains resin and balsams (50–70%) and beeswax (30–50%). It also contains pollen, essential oils, aromatic oils, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, phenolics, and flavonoids.

Propolis is renowned for its potent anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. Honeybees use it in a lot of different ways, from waterproofing and draft prevention to encapsulating intruders and pests. It also plays a hugely important part in honeybee health by contributing to the colony immune system. Furthermore, propolis has been used for thousands of years to support immune health in humans and as a natural antioxidant. (To read more about its benefits and uses in ancient and modern medicine click here – What are the health benefits of propolis?)

Origin of the word propolis

The word propolis derives from Greek. It is made up of the words: “pro”, meaning for defence or in defence, and “polis”, meaning city. Ergo, propolis translates as: for defense of the hive.

What is plant resin?

Resins are part of the plants’ protection in response to vulnerability (new growth and leaf buds) and injury (cuts and breaks). The resin contains volatile compounds that detract animals and pathogens. These volatile compounds also attract benefactors that prey or parasitise on animals that attack the plant. Honeybees collect these resins and mix them with beeswax to make propolis.

Many plants produce resins that are available to honeybees, including poplar species, birch, horse chestnut and coniferous trees. The compounds contained in resin vary considerably between species, even within species and between neighbouring trees of the same species.

The composition of each resin is very complex. It has been shown that one single sample can contain up to 300 separate compounds and traces. Furthermore, studies have shown that honeybees actively select specific (chemo)types of plants and recruit worker bees to forage on these. Even though bees may prefer certain resin, they gather it from other sources also.

Various resins have different anti-microbial properties. Hence, by using resin from a wide spectrum of sources, honeybees ensure better protection against different pathogens. Scientists are questioning whether honeybees not only seek out individual plants for the specific mixture of compounds in their resin, but if they also deliberately wound or secret microbes into plants to either trigger or maintain its production of resin and/or alter its chemical composition.

How do honeybees collect resin for propolis?

Collecting resin is hard work for bees. Consequently, it often takes half an hour to an hour to collect one load. The resin is scraped from plants with the mandibles and moved to the hind legs of the bees. Because it is so sticky, the resin foragers cannot offload the resin themselves. Hence, you can often see them on the tops of frames waiting for another bee to help them.

Once the resin is removed from the pollen baskets, it is mixed with wax and saliva. The bees then deposit it inside the hive. In a healthy colony, there is only a small number of resin collectors. They make up less than 1% of the total foraging force.

Honeybees collect resin throughout the active season, with an increase towards the end of summer. This is part of the bees’ winter preparations. They use propolis to fill cracks and regulate airflow, as well as maintaining a healthy colony and fighting disease.

Commercial and medical uses for propolis

Thanks to modern day science, we now know that propolis has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-fungal and immunomodulatory properties. Both in relation to honeybee health and human health. Medical professionals use propolis in topical applications, tinctures, mouth sprays and mouthwashes. Propolis is also used as a dietary supplement to help boost the immune system and in hair and skincare. The list of its uses as a home remedy is quite exhaustive. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this short article. For more on propolis, please see the following Blogs:

Why is propolis important for bees?

Health benefits of Propolis

How to Use Propolis

How to Make Propolis Tincture

You can also purchase Irish Propolis Tincture in our online shop.

/Hanna

Hanna Bäckmo

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