‘Propolis’ is a resin-like substance found in the buds of poplar and cone-bearing trees; however it is hardly available to us in its pure form.  Humans have access to this substance only from beehives – because hard-working bees scrape the protective resins of flower and leaf buds with their mandibles and carry them to the hive, then further modify it using saliva and other secretions as well as with wax. The bees’ purpose in adding the propolis is to sterilize, and achieve a form of collective immunity for the bee colony as a whole.

The substance has a long history of medicinal use for abscesses, for healing wounds and tumors; and for mummification. Read the rest of this entry »

You are likely to find The Telegraph’s Beekeeping page a good source for news and information on honeybees, beekeeping, apiary culture and bee care. Apart from accessing Ian Douglas’s beekeeping diary, you can easily access plenty of other useful beekeeping links, like British Beekeepers Association and the National Bee Unit.