Index:
Lit. & Poetry

 

WAX, PROPOLIS*, POLLEN, ROYAL JELLY**

 

Ancient magic used wax
And propolis without conferring a
Nobel to the head magician of this discovery;
Ancient magic was powered
By outcomes, syncretic laboratories. 
The bee is not only a magician, it is a
Humble, frugal, fatigued
Constructor and explorer,
Worker and director, scientist and consumer,
Reflection of inescapable entropy and
Functional ring of world energy.
 
The transformation of the plant bud
Endows the propolis with one of the most
Astounding natural forms, remedy
And medicine, pure and mathematic weft,
Physics of active conservation,
Chemical of the composition of the elements,
Harmonized and existing only by means of
The bee, realist cinema and novel.
 
Genius wonderment is that
Ventral gland of the wax,
Cement of the city, knotted and
Cohesive, from legs, enzymes, saliva and
Sugars, pillars and walls of the house,
Petrol, fat, olive grove and black earth.
 

 

And the pollens?  Alive and scattered, not only
Of colors and proteins, sky dust,
Tapped minutiae, appetite of the cycle
Of plant fertilization, matchless
Wit captured by petals,
Bee prey, vision and empathy, veritable
Plunder of piracy and incursions,
Pasta and risotto, coca leaves,
Fresh, threshed maize and crisp pizza bread.  
 
Emanation, secretion, transfiguration
Of mild substances into other forces and products,
That alchemy of honey, wax,
Propolis is royal jelly, that milk
Imbibed, devoured, offered and distributed
Unconditionally by the viscera of the bee
To the brood, to the queen, to the QUEEN,
Mother and governess, dear and beautiful, magnificent,
Graceful and conscious of her uniqueness, nurtured
By her offspring in the order of the species. 
 

      * Propolis is a wax-like resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds or other botanical sources and used as cement and to seal cracks or open spaces in the hive. Its color varies from green to brown and reddish, depending of its botanical source. Honeybees use propolis to seal any gap inside the hive that is smaller than 3/16" or 1/4" (5 mm or 6 mm) while they leave themselves a bee space of approximately 9.5 mm, or 3/8", larger spaces are filled with wax comb.

Traditionally, beekeepers assumed that bees sealed the cracks and joints of the beehive with propolis to protect the colony from the elements (like rain) and prevent drafts during the wintertime. More recent research suggests that bees not only survive, but actually thrive with increased ventilation during the winter in most temperate regions of the world. Propolis is now thought to:
reinforce the structural stability of the hive
reduce vibration
make the hive more defensible by sealing alternate entrances

Bees may also use it to prevent diseases and parasites in the hive.

Bees normally carry waste (dead larva, etc.) out of and away from the hive. However if, for example, a mouse chews its way into the hive for a winter nest and dies, the bees won't be able to move it out through the hive entrance. They have instead been known to seal the carcass in propolis, effectively mummifying the mouse.

Propolis is marketed by health food stores as a traditional medicine, and for its claimed beneficial effect on human health. Depending upon its precise composition (below) it may show powerful local antibiotic and antifungal properties. Also it is generally efficient in treating skin burns. Claims have been made for its use in treating allergy; it may stimulate the immune system, but some warn that it should not be taken if the user is likely to have severe allergic reaction to bees.

Old beekeepers recommend a piece of propolis kept in the mouth as a remedy for a sore throat.

Propolis is used by music instrument makers to better show the wood grain. It is a component of Italian varnish and was reportedly used by Stradivarius.

** Royal jelly is a bee secretion that aids in the development of immature or young bees. It is secreted from the hypopharyngeal glands in the heads of young workers and used amongst other substances to feed all of the young in the colony. If a queen is needed, the hatchling will receive only royal jelly and in large quantities as its food source for the first four days of its growth, and this rapid, early feeding triggers the development of queen morphology, including the fully developed ovaries needed to lay more eggs for the hive. People collect and sell royal jelly as a dietary supplement, claiming various health benefits because of components like B-complex; it can also be found in various beauty products.

Translation courtesy of Dan Aspromonte