Plants produce resins as a form of defense against pests and diseases.
They are highly antimicrobial.
Bees collect plant resins and apply them around the hive. This is a form of social immunity.
Bees primarily collect resin from populus trees (cottonwood, balsam poplar) and conifers (pine, cedar, juniper).
Propolis reduces the pathogenic microbes inside the nest, reducing the need for colony immune response.
Fewer pathogenic microbes are found in the guts of bees living in a propolis-rich environment.
A lot about bees’ use of propolis isn’t fully understood. For example:
Bees do not always choose the medicinally “strongest” resins.
Bees collect more resin to self-medicate when they have fungal infections, but not when burdened by bacterial infections.
How is propolis harvested and used?
Of the main plant compounds reported in honey, few occur in floral nectar. All are common in propolis.
Propolis can be collected either by scraping it off of hive equipment, or through the incorporation of propolis traps.
Raw propolis can be chewed or softened and applied to wounds as a salve.
To harvest propolis from a trap, it is usually frozen, then twisted. The hardened resin will shatter free
.
Frozen propolis can be pulverized into dust, then dissolved in warm oil or water.
Using this method, the end product will need to be filtered to ensure it’s free of particles.
To create a propolis tincture, a ratio of 2 parts resin to 10 parts alcohol
should be combined in a sealed container, and shaken every day for a week.
The contents will divide into a clear extract on top, and a darker sludge on the bottom.
The darker sludge can be used to paint hive equipment, preserving it and creating a propolis envelope.
The clear extract can be warmed in honey or oil until the alcohol evaporates.
Propolis has anesthetic qualities that are superior to cocaine. It has great antibacterial, fungicidal, and antiviral properties, and stimulates the regeneration of tissues.
Records of its use date back to ancient Egypt.
These unique traits, along with anti-oxidation and phytoinhibition, make resin a popular ingredient in cosmetics, medicines, nutrition, and agriculture.
Stradivarius violins traditionally included propolis in the composition of their varnishes.
