Honeybees are incredible insects — as pollinators, they help grow a third of our crops, have rich social lives, build architecturally marvellous hives, fill them up with yummy honey and exude fragrant beeswax.
What we don’t know enough about is bee glue, or propolis — a resinous mixture the worker bees make from the resin they collect from different parts of plants. When mixed with beeswax, pollen, essential oils and other organic compounds, it turns into a dark-brown-coloured wax-like substance. Based on the kinds of plants available and the resin they secrete, propolis can also be green, black or white.
The word propolis originates from two Greek words — pro, meaning entrance and polis, meaning city. It’s a vital component bees use to build the entrance to their city, aka hives. Propolis acts like cement to seal open spaces and cracks in the hives and smooth out internal walls. It doubles up as a weather shield, keeping away water and maintaining a constant humidity and temperature inside the hive.
The 180+ chemicals in it deter invaders like ants, lizards, mites and snakes from attacking the hive, and kill pathogens like bacteria and fungi. When a large intruder successfully makes it into the hive but gets killed inside, the bees ‘mummify’ the corpse by embalming it with propolis, thus preventing it from decaying.
Many systems of medicine use propolis to treat cold-like symptoms, wounds, burns, acne, herpes and other skin conditions. Studies have shown that propolis works against bacteria, viruses, protozoans and fungi, and has antioxidant and anaesthetic properties. It is used in toothpaste, lozenges, mouth rinses, creams, gels, cough syrups, wine, soap, chewing gums, chocolate bars, candies, shampoos, skin lotions, and for preserving meat. It’s also used as a varnish for musical instruments like violin and flutes, and as an art material in glass blowing and engraving.
Propolis is a wonder material indeed, in a long list of all other bee things.