How honeybees keep themselves healthy

[JamezF]

But we can't possibly emulate the way bees would do it. We will also not know how inclined to use propolis our bees are. But if the bees are healthy and have a need to propolise something, unless we have chosen to breed that urge out of them, they will propolise the beehive themselves.

I understand your point and I think it raises a number of questions about what the "natural" behaviour of honey bees is when we're keeping them in an unnatural environment (ie. a hive) in the first place. Should we expect them to behave in the same way when they're nesting in a tree trunk, for example?

Where people are keeping and breeding from their own stock, can we be sure that a line that has been kept in wooden hives for, say, thirty years, will want to behave the same way as a line that has been kept in poly hives for the same amount of time? And if they don't, in what ways might they differ?

I have no answers, but I think we need to keep in mind that once we start to change their environment, they many no longer behave in the ways that we assume they would.

James

 

[user 20297]

I understand your point and I think it raises a number of questions about what the "natural" behaviour of honey bees is when we're keeping them in an unnatural environment (ie. a hive) in the first place. Should we expect them to behave in the same way when they're nesting in a tree trunk, for example?

Where people are keeping and breeding from their own stock, can we be sure that a line that has been kept in wooden hives for, say, thirty years, will want to behave the same way as a line that has been kept in poly hives for the same amount of time? And if they don't, in what ways might they differ?

I have no answers, but I think we need to keep in mind that once we start to change their environment, they many no longer behave in the ways that we assume they would.

James

I have thought further subsequent to the points you have made. The fact that I read and see that bees in polyhives are less inclined to propolise the walls, may mean something about bees has changed. But alternatively, or in addition, it may mean that nothing intrinsic to bee behaviour has changed, but simply that because they occupy an artificial environment,, which is smooth and less able to give refuge to micro-organisms than a wooden hive or a tree, they are aware that they have a reduced need to propolise. That would presumably be an additional benefit to our making a careful choice of a hive type. Collecting and distributing propolis is clearly, something which, from a beekeeper's perspective, is time which would be better spent in collecting nectar.

 

[pargyle]

Collecting and distributing propolis is clearly, something which, from a beekeeper's perspective, is time which would be better spent in collecting nectar.

I don't think you can make that assumption ... bees will do what bees want to do. If they are intent on collecting propolis then that's what they will do.

In any case, they DO propolise the interior of poly hives ,,, even though I paint the insde with propolis varnish they still add to it ...

 

[user 20297]

I don't think you can make that assumption ... bees will do what bees want to do. If they are intent on collecting propolis then that's what they will do.

In any case, they DO propolise the interior of poly hives ,,, even though I paint the insde with propolis varnish they still add to it ...

By partially quoting above, you miss the fact that I am aware that if they need propolis they will collect it, and I agree, there's no harm in that.
Have you considered that by artificially introducing a solution of propolis into the polyhive, you may be encouraging the bees to propolise when they otherwise wouldn't have bothered or needed to?
Maybe they are trying to block out the varnish?
As I'm always reminded, the bees know best, either before or after the beekeeper intervenes.

 

[Garry R]

I don't think you can make that assumption ... bees will do what bees want to do. If they are intent on collecting propolis then that's what they will do.

In any case, they DO propolise the interior of poly hives ,,, even though I paint the insde with propolis varnish they still add to it ...

What is the recipe for the propolis varnish?

 

[Wilco]

They claim it makes you liver longer. Just wait until they see the lights.

James

Put some heart into it! Surely your post should be written as follows:

''They claim it makes you liver longer: Just wait until they see the lights.''

 

[pargyle]

What is the recipe for the propolis varnish?

I just use plain methylated spirits but any industrial alcohol will work. I put the propolis/hive frame scrapings and or slumgum into a jar, cover the scraping in the meths, Shake the jar once a day for about a week or so, strain the solids off the liquid and you have propolis varnish. I paint the liquid onto the interior of the hive, the alcohol/meths evaporates fairly quickly - I leave it for a day or so for any aromatics to evaporate and put the box into use.

 

[pargyle]

Have you considered that by artificially introducing a solution of propolis into the polyhive, you may be encouraging the bees to propolise when they otherwise wouldn't have bothered or needed to?
Maybe they are trying to block out the varnish?

I've put poly hives into use without the varnish ,,, they cover the interior with propolis - hence I help them get started.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Have you considered that by artificially introducing a solution of propolis into the polyhive, you may be encouraging the bees to propolise when they otherwise wouldn't have bothered or needed to?

I never 'varnish' the insides of my poly nucs - the bees still propolise them without any kind of cheering on by me.

 

[Murox]

For years scientific articles have been published about propolis, its composition, benefits and so on. It's been used in folk medicine for centuries, the ancient Egyptians used it for embalming, doctors used it during World War II to help with wound healing and honey bees, well they have been collecting it and using it for millennia.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I like the idea of a propolis envelope. My bees do coat the inside of both wood and poly boxes but only with a thin layer so I thought I might give this a go with one of the boxes.
Propolis

I put my stickiest bees into a box like this and they largely ignored putting propolis anywhere but on the frame runners