Propolis
Jayne Barnes
-posted by Jayne
Propolis- the sticky brown “gunk” bees use to fill up unwanted cracks and crevices in the hive. I almost regret telling you about it here in the blog, because I’m almost guaranteed to receive a slew of messages asking for it, and we’re currently out of stock. But the traps are on the hives, so hopefully there will be more in the coming weeks. So what exactly is it, you ask?
Sticky, brown, resinous propolis.
Propolis is collected by bees from the buds and sap of trees and used in their hives as an anti-bacterial sealant. It acts as an antiseptic barrier that will cover invaders and prevent hive contamination. I saw evidence of this in a photo shared by John P. Rose on the “Ohio Beekeepers” facebook page. If this photo doesn’t deserve some sort of beekeeping photography reward, I don’t know what does:
Mummified propolis encased mouse. Photo credit John P. Rose- shared with permission.
Basically what happened here is a mouse entered a beehive, hoping to find a cozy place to stay and/or a sweet treat. The bees attacked the mouse, killing it, and not wanting a dead decaying object in their hive (that likely smelled) they encased it in propolis. What is left behind is a sort of mummified mouse that will not contaminate their own food stores.
People use propolis for a variety of reasons, most commonly to create tinctures or salves that can be applied to the body. It is often used as a mouth rinse, a treatment of minor burns or scrapes, and internally as a nutritional supplement. It is believed to have activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as well as anti-inflammatory effects. We use propolis in our “herbal propolis salve” which I prefer to use for dry skin, eczema, insect bites, small scrapes and bruises. The composition and color of propolis will vary from season to season and hive to hive. It is normally dark brown, but some variation will occur.
Propolis trap, with bits of propolis in the holes.
In the past we have used hive scrapings to harvest propolis, but this year we are employing the use of propolis traps to help us collect it. The trap is placed on the top of the hive, after removing the inner cover. The lid is propped up with something small like a thumb tack or small stick, to allow light into the hive, encouraging the bees to plug up the holes in the trap. Once the trap is plugged up with propolis it is put in a bag and placed in a freezer. After removing it from the freezer the trap (still inside the bag) is banged against a hard surface or gently bent back and forth in order to cause the brittle propolis to fall from the trap. It takes quite a while to gather a very small amount of propolis, and we are careful to only leave traps on the hive for a short period of time, moving them from hive to hive. We understand the bees need the propolis as well and don’t want to take too much.
Want to try your hand at making your own propolis tinctures? Find some helpful recipes on this bee culture website: https://www.beeculture.com/propolis/
We’ve used the recipes on this site for some of our own tinctures and infused oil and find they work well. Drop us a line or comment below and let us know if you have any questions about propolis. We’d love to start a conversation about this amazing substance.