Buzzing benefits

June 2019

If you have never heard of propolis, you probably don’t spend much time in health food shops, or aren’t into natural remedies. But it in apiculture it is one of three most valued compounds that can be obtained from bees, and potentially presents a multi million dollars opportunity for Australian beekeepers.

It’s a sticky substance generally known as “bee glue” that bees produce from plant sap, the exude of tree buds and saliva for the construction and repair of their hives.

Humans have benefited from the use of propolis since ancient times. Greek and Romans, for example were already aware of its antiseptic and healing potency and used it for the treatment of wounds, and in the 17th century it was listed as an official drug in the London pharmacopoeias.

The broad health benefits have been confirmed by modern research, which has focussed on the potential anti cancer properties of the waxy substance, its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, and its use in the treatment of burn wounds.

What’s more is that beekeepers can easily obtain the raisin by scraping components of their hives, such as the supers and frames, or by inserting a plastic mat into the hive.

However, in Australia harvesting propolis is not a significant industry, in contrast to New Zealand where around 30 tonnes of raw substance are produced every year. According to AgriFutures Australia, its production is becoming increasingly popular also with small apiaries, and for a number of reasons (see box).

Propolis benefits for beekeepers:

Production can be incorporated with existing activities and completed during honey harvest.
There is no loss of honey or pollination fee income from the addition of propolis mats.
Limited labour is required.
Capital outlay is limited.
Processors for further refinement will purchase raw propolis with as little as 15% pure propolis.
• High prices are achieved for raw propolis with an upward trend in price of the product.

A new AgriFutures report by Michael Clarke from AgEconPlus suggests that New Zealand could provide a valuable model for a viable propolis industry in Australia, where at present only a handful of beekeepers harvest the product.

For a 100-hive enterprise it could provide additional income of around $1400 a year, the report found.

Across the over 500,000 beehives maintained in Australia, it's an opportunity potentially worth several million of dollars.

However, according to AgriFutures there has been an absence of consistent in Australia, but “the tide is starting to turn with businesses looking to join the supply chain”.