WHAT IS
PROPOLIS?
In past centuries the use of
natural balsams such as propolis was common. Knights wounded
in battle used balsams as a form of treatment. Over 100
years ago, an ointment made from goose grease and propolis
was successfully used on horses and cattle to treat hoof
fissures and sores, and an ointment of propolis and vaseline
was used on human wounds during the Anglo-Boer war.
Propolis has a very long
history as a medicine for humans. It is reported to have
treated colds and sore throats, stomach ulcers, burns,
haemorrhoids and joint and muscle inflammation. Although
propolis is considered by many as "folk medicine", its use
has been revived.
Propolis is a natural, resinous
substance with a pleasant aromatic smell, varying in colour
from light brown to dark chestnut red. Certain trees such as
poplar, willow, horse chestnut and birch exude a sap which
has antibiotic qualities to protect that tree from
infection. Bees gather this sap, add their own secretions
and take it back to the hive. Propolis is quite sticky at
hive temperatures when new, it sets quite hard below about
15oC and is brittle below about 5oC.
It is used by bees for repairing
hive damage, sealing off strange objects from the cavity of
the hive, partially closing the hive entrance in winter, and
sealing down foreign objects which might find their way into
the hive, such as sticks or small animals which have died or
been killed by the bees. As they are too big to remove by
bees, they are coated with propolis to "embalm" them and
prevent their decay to reduce risk of infection.
The bees, when they occupy a new
hive, coat the inside walls of their home with a thin layer
of propolis. They also coat the inside of every wax cell
before it is used for laying or filling with honey. The
reason for this is thought to be that propolis contains
natural antibiotics which protect the bee colony, staving
off diseases including bacterial and fungal growths to
combat contamination and pathogen invasion.
PRODUCTION OF PROPOLIS
Commercial production of
propolis is usually difficult and time consuming. One method
is to have special "inserts" placed in the hives - spaces
that mimic holes or cracks in the hive to encourage the bees
to fill them with propolis. The resultant propolis is then
collected, sorted and packaged. The easier method to obtain
propolis is to scrape the hives.
