What is Propolis?

In the beekeeping world, propolis is known by a couple different names. Propolis, broken down as "pro" meaning before or in front of, and "polis" meaning city, loosely translates propolis as "defender of the city". Many call propolis bee glue, because this is one of the reasons bees gather/make propolis.  Whatever you want to call it, Propolis acts as the natural defense and immune system of the colony.

Before we get into it's uses, lets define what propolis really is. Bees gather resins from plants and trees, and the varieties of the plants and trees vary according to your location.  The bees carry these resins back to the colony on her legs, similar to how she brings pollen back to the colony.
The honeybee adds her enzymes and beeswax to the resins, and this magical mixture is propolis.  The make up of propolis is as follows: 50% Resins; 30% Beeswax; 10% Essential Oils; 5% Pollen; 5% Other compounds. In the 5% other compounds, there are 300 components, some unidentifiable.
 
Now, the bees use propolis in various ways in the colony. First, they line the colony with propolis, to keep bacteria at bay. Imagine 60,000 bees in a small area, bacteria could easily grow in this environment. Propolis prevents this from happening.  Second, they use propolis as a "glue" to close up any holes, or drafts in the colony. Third, if there are any intruders that make it into the colony that are too big for the bees to remove, they will propolize around the intruder, so it will not decay in the colony. And, the bees will use propolis to line the cell where the queen lays eggs so the egg can hatch and larvae can grow in a healthy environment.

Propolis has been used as a healer by man since ancient times. Hippocrates, ancient Egyptians and Romans all used propolis medicinally.  Dr. Oz promotes the use of propolis as well.

I think the awareness of the benefits of propolis will continue to grow. You will be hearing more about this amazing product from the hive!