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 Bee
Propolis is a mixture of
various amounts of beeswax and resins collected by the honeybee from
plants, particularly from flowers and leaf buds. Since it is
difficult to observe bees on their foraging trips the exact sources of
the resins are usually not known. Bees have been observed scraping the
protective resins of flower and leaf buds with their mandibles and
then carrying them to the hive like pollen pellets on their hind legs.
It can be assumed that in the process of collecting and modelling the
resins, they are mixed with some saliva and other secretions of the
bees as well as with wax.
These resins are used by worker bees to
line the inside of nest cavities and all brood combs, repair combs,
seal small cracks in the hive, reduce the size of hive
entrances, seal off inside the hive any dead animals or insects
which are too large to be carried out and perhaps most important of
all, to mix small quantities of Propolis with wax to seal brood
cells. These uses are significant because they take advantage of
the antibacterial and antifungal effects of Propolis in protecting the
colony against diseases. Propolis has been shown to kill the bee's
most ardent bacterial foe, Bacillus larvae - the cause of
American Foul Brood (Mlagan and Sulimanovic, 1982; Meresta and Meresta,
1988). The use of Propolis thus reduces the chance of infection in the
developing brood and the growth of decomposing bacteria in dead animal
tissue.
The composition of Propolis depends on
the type of plants accessible to the bees. Propolis changes in colour,
odour and probably medicinal characteristics, according to source and
the season of the year. Moreover, some bees and some colonies are more
avid collectors-generally to the dismay of the beekeeper, since
Propolis is a very sticky substance which, in abundance, can make it
difficult to remove frames from the boxes.
Foraging for Propolis is only
known with the Western honeybee Apis mellifera. The Asian
species of Apis do not collect Propolis. Only Meliponine or
stingless bees are known to collect similarly sticky resinous
substances, for sealing hives and constructing honey and pollen pots
for storage. In this bulletin, however, Propolis shall refer
only to resins collected by honeybees, since almost all of the
research has been done on it. There may well be similar traditional
uses for resins collected by Meliponids.
In the natural distribution ranges of
Apis mellifera, a multitude of traditional uses are known for this
versatile substance. The Greeks and Romans already knew that
Propolis would heal skin abscesses and through the centuries its
use in medicine has received varying attention. The ancient Egyptians
knew about the benefits of Propolis and in Africa it is still
used today, as a medicine, an adhesive for tuning drums, sealing
cracked water containers or canoes and dozens of other uses. It has
been incorporated in special varnishes such as those used by
Stradivarius for his violins (Jolly, 1978).
See also:
Bee Propolis: What
is Propolis?
Formulation and Application Methods for Human and Animal Use
Composition of
Propolis
Physical
Characteristics of Propolis
The Physiological Effects
& Scientific Evidence
Storage
of Propolis
Traditional Uses
of Propolis
Uses of of Propolis in
Cosmetics & Medicine
Bee
Propolis: Caution
Buy Bee
Propolis
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