Propolis is the sticky resinous substance that bees collect from plants and trees and which gets all over your hands and clothes when inspecting a bee hive. Propolis is produced by the trees and plants to protect their buds from, bacteria, fungus and most insects. The composition and colour of propolis varies from plant to plant and therefore colony to colony and region to region. Propolis is most commonly an orangey/brown colour.
Bees use propolis to seal up small spaces throughout the hive, bigger spaces are sealed with wax comb . Propolis is sticky above 20 °C (68 °F) and becomes brittle and hard below that temperature. As a result forager bees tend to prefer to collect propolis in warmer temperatures. The bees collect the propolis using their mandibles to scrape the substance from the plants. They then pass the propolis from their mandibles to their forelegs, then to the inner surface of the middle leg or basitarsus. The propolis is then stored for flight in their pollen baskets or corbiculum on their back legs.
On returning to the hive with their load of propolis they go to the part of the hive where it is required. The propolis is removed by other house bees. Just as with pollen, nectar and water the bees will perform a dance to pass on the exact location of the propolis to other bees.
In sealing up small holes and entrances in the hive, the bees are strengthening the structure of their home as well as limiting the possible entrance points for predators and it is believed reducing vibration. In addition, whilst bees will remove any dead bees or small predators from a hive, bigger creatures such as small mice or lizards, which have been attacked and killed but are too heavy to remove will be shrouded in a propolis cocoon. By doing so the bees prevent disease and bacteria spreading from the decaying body.
The bees will also coat the inside of the hive with a thin layer, or varnish of propolis and also coat the inside of a brood cell. This is believed to be a way of using the known anti bacterial, antiviral and antimicrobial properties of propolis to keep the colony clean and healthy and free of disease.
Some strains of bees such as Caucasians use more propolis than others and some beekeepers will not keep them for this reason. Since beekeepers tend to hate having to deal with large amounts of sticky propolis there has been a tendency to favouring and breeding from lower propolis producing colonies in recent decades. Some scientists now suggest that this reduction in propolis use could be interfering with the bees natural weapon against diseases and be contributing to the rise in pests and diseases currently damaging bee colonies worldwide.
Human use of propolis
There is a growing interest in propolis and its natural benefits for humans. Many health stores sell propolis supplements and propolis can now even be found in some toothpaste produced by major toothpaste manufacturers, promoting in particular healthy gums.
Below are some propolis based products you might like to check out
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It is possible to keep bees almost anywhere including cities and towns and in fact beekeepers often find that honey production is better in an urban setting than a rural setting, as there are often more varied flora for bees to be found in urban gardens. However those wishing to keep bees in a city or town should check with their local authorities first as there are still some who do not permit urban beekeeping.
Once you have decided beekeeping is for you some consideration should be given to where your hives should be situated. In this article we are assuming that your bees are to be kept in a rural or non urban area (see
The WBC Hive is the bee hive that everyone pictures when they think of honey and honey bees. What picture of an English country garden is complete without a white-painted WBC Hive. The WBC was invented in Britain in about 1890 by the writer and beekeeper William Broughton Carr, hence the name WBC. This design of hive was a variation on the earlier and still used moveable frame Langstroth Hive.
The actual bee hive is the most expensive piece of equipment for a beekeeper and it is this cost that can often put off many from starting beekeeping. A good quality redwood bee hive will set you back at least $300 and since it is recommended that you ideally start with two hives or colonies then that figure is doubled. However if you look after your hives and treat the wood regularly they will last for years. If you decide later that beekeeping is not for you there is usually a good second-hand market, so you will recoup some of your original outlay.
The basic parts of the hive traditionally have been made out of pine, cypress or redwood. However today all hive components are available in plastic. Plastic hive components and plastic frames that snap together are durable, strong, lightweight, easy to assemble, and require little maintenance. While plastic frames and foundation are becoming increasingly popular, plastic hive covers, bottom boards, and hive bodies have not proved to be as useful because plastic does not breathe and does not allow easy moisture ventilation. Plastic also warps easily and it has also been found that some types let in too much light, which the bees do not like.
The hive is the man-made structure in which the honey bee colony lives. Over the years a wide variety of hives have been developed. Today most beekeepers in the United States use the Langstroth or modern ten-frame hive and most in the UK prefer the National, which like most of the hive alternatives is just a size variation of the original Langstroth Hive.
frame consists of a top bar, two end bars, and a bottom bar. Top bars may be either grooved or wedged; bottom bars are split, solid, or grooved. Some types may have advantages over others, but the choice is generally a personal preference that includes consideration of cost. Top bars are suspended on ledges or rabbets in the ends of the hive body. V-shaped metal strips or metal frame spacers (castellations) are often nailed into the recess for reinforcement.
The hive is the man-made structure in which the honey bee colony lives. Over the years a wide variety of hives have been developed. Today most beekeepers in the United States use the Langstroth or modern ten-frame hive and most in the UK prefer the National, which like most of the hive alternatives is just a size variation of the original Langstroth Hive.
The hive is the man-made structure in which the honey bee colony lives. Over the years a wide variety of hives have been developed. Today most beekeepers in the United States use the Langstroth or modern ten-frame hive and most in the UK prefer the National, which like most of the hive alternatives is just a size variation of the original Langstroth Hive.
The hole in the inner cover may be fitted with a device known as a Porter bee escape (usually white plastic) which is an aid in removing bees from full supers of honey. This device is designed to allow the bees to go through it one way but not to re-enter, so that gradually all or most of the bees will have exited the honey box, making it easier to remove the frames for honey extraction.
uppermost hive box. It is called a telescoping top cover because it hangs over the hive body and most telescoping top covers hang over between 1-2 inches. The top is normally covered with a sheet of metal to prevent weathering and leaking. Removal of the outer cover, with the inner cover in place, disturbs few bees within the hive and allows the beekeeper to more easily smoke the bees prior to colony manipulation.
