Propolis

How Bees Make and Use Propolis

Propolis starts as resin that forager bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, and other botanical sources. Back at the hive, they mix this resin with beeswax and enzymes to create a versatile, sticky substance that serves multiple critical functions in the colony.

Bees use propolis to seal cracks and gaps in the hive structure, reducing drafts and making the entrance easier to defend. They coat the interior walls of the hive with a thin layer of propolis, creating a nearly sterile environment. When a pest too large to remove, like a mouse, dies inside the hive, bees entomb it in propolis to prevent decomposition from contaminating the colony. This natural embalming is one of the most remarkable examples of propolis in action.

Antimicrobial Properties

Propolis contains over 300 bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenes. Research has shown that propolis has significant antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. In the hive, these properties help keep 50,000+ bees healthy in close quarters.

The antimicrobial strength of propolis varies depending on the plant sources available to the bees. In Florida, our bees collect resin from a wide range of tropical and subtropical trees, creating a propolis composition unique to our region.

Propolis in Raw Honey

One of the reasons raw honey has natural antimicrobial properties is the presence of trace amounts of propolis. When bees process nectar into honey and seal it in honeycomb, small amounts of propolis from the comb walls mix in. Ultra-filtration, the process used in commercial honey production, removes these propolis particles along with pollen. This is one of the key differences between raw and processed honey.