BEE GLUE SCIENCE

Honeybees forage tree resins to concoct a complex substance called Propolis. They use this sticky substance as an antiseptic and antifungal coating as well as to fill small gaps and glue hive parts together. Propolis is often referred to as ‘bee glue’ by Beekeepers.

Propolis has been used medicinally for millennia, and is of great interest to modern medical science. Research confirms the efficacy of propolis and its bioactive components against numerous bacterial and viral infections and even, possibly, cancer.

[For the chemically minded, Propolis contains foraged plant resins, waxes, essential oils, pollens, phenolic acids, flavonoids, ketones, aldehydes, chalcones, dihydrochalcones, terpenoids, amino acids, aliphatic acids, aromatic esters and acids, carbohydrates, vitamins and metals].

(Propolis: An update on its chemistry and pharmacological applications, Hussain, et al, Aug 2022)