In late autumn, bees often narrow the entrance to the hive with propolis, sealing themselves in against the cold.
What is this curious material with which worker bees seal cracks in their home, reinforce the comb, fill the gaps between frames, and coat the inner walls of the hive? A kind of cement — and more. Guard bees also use it to seal off the bodies of intruders (small rodents, caterpillars, and other pests) that die inside the colony but are too large to be carried out.
Propolis was well known in folk medicine centuries ago, then fell out of fashion, only to attract renewed interest in recent decades — sometimes described, a little too enthusiastically, as a cure-all. It deserves neither that kind of hype nor outright dismissal. It’s simply a genuinely fascinating product of the hive, worth understanding on its own terms.
“Cement” of the hive, propolis is a hard, friable substance that becomes malleable at around 35°C and melts at about 70°C. Its color ranges from light yellow to brown, dark green or black, with a slightly bitter taste and a scent of wax and resin.
For a long time it was thought that bees produced propolis themselves, from digested pollen. Specialists now generally agree it is gathered from the resinous buds of certain trees — birch, alder, fir, oak, ash, poplar — then mixed with salivary secretions that transform its properties before use in the hive.
Bees use propolis mainly to improve the hive’s insulation, repair damaged comb, and line the walls of brood cells.
Since propolis was “rediscovered,” it has come back onto the market. Beekeepers harvest it by scraping it from the frames and walls of the hive, typically in cool weather so it comes away more easily. Even so, the harvest stays modest: about 50 to 300 grams per hive per year.
Composition
Like royal jelly, propolis contains a number of substances that are still not fully characterized, and its exact composition varies with its plant source. On average, propolis is made up of roughly:
– Resin: 50%
– Beeswax: 25–30%
– Pollen: 5%
– Other materials: 5%
A long history in traditional use
Propolis has a long history of use in traditional and folk medicine — writers from Pliny to Aristotle and Avicenna mention it, and it was reportedly carried by Roman legionaries as part of their field dressings. Modern research has looked at several of its properties, including antibacterial activity, and it remains of real interest to beekeepers and hive-product enthusiasts today.
These traditional uses are part of what makes propolis such an interesting product of the hive — but they are not the same as an established medical treatment. Its properties have not been sufficiently confirmed or standardized by health authorities to be recommended as a remedy for any condition. If you’re dealing with a health issue, we’d always recommend speaking with a healthcare professional rather than relying on hive products as a substitute for medical care.
excerpts from La Santé par le miel by Jean-François Chèzeries (LDP)
