This workshop will teach you all about propolis - from harvest to producing a healthy product!

Propolis or bee glue is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources and used by the bees as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the beehive.

Thousands of years ago, ancient civilisations used propolis for its medicinal properties. Greeks used it to treat abscesses. Assyrians put it on wounds and tumors to fight infection and help the healing process. Egyptians used it for embalming mummies.

The composition of propolis can vary depending on the location of the bees and what trees and flowers they have access to. This can make it difficult for researchers to come to general conclusions about its health benefits.

This is a highly valuable bee bi-product we like to bring to your attention and invite you to be part of this exciting workshop.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:

09.45 am           door open, registration

10.00 am           workshop start & BICWA welcome

                           Propolis collection; mats and tools

                           Propolis harvest & how to clean; demonstration

11.00 am            Propolis refreshment; propolis infused refreshment tasting

11.15 am            Propolis research; provenance and health properties

11.45 am            Propolis product; learn how to make a propolis product

12.30 pm            Propolis Q&A panel

01.00 pm            Finish

WORKSHOP FACILITATOR: 

- Stephen Lenghaus, beekeeper

- Ivan Lawag, UWA researcher

- Danielle Boksjo, Director Beeautify WA

All bios below, keep scrolling down to the end. 

BONUS:

There’s time for shopping at the Swan Settlers Market, where you can get Tea/Coffee and have a choice of lunch options. Opening hours: 9 am – 5 pm

TICKETS:

The standard ticket price for this workshop is $85

BICWA members pay $75

BICWA membership is free for registered beekeepers. Sign up today and benefit from this offer. www.bicwa.com.au/membership-1

Book online or call Christine 0458 212 528 for any queries.

As we continue to operate as a COVID-safe business, we also ask that you please do not attend the event if you are experiencing cold/flu-like symptoms. Event attendees must all continue to practice social distancing to help reduce the spread.

MEET OUR FACILITATORS:

Stephen Lenghaus

For some time, I have removed propolis as a beekeeping bi-product. In late 2020 I met beekeepers who were collecting propolis from their own hives, processing it and using it themselves. 

In early 2021, my interest was enhanced while completing a Certificate III in Beekeeping. By late 2021, I was collecting propolis in a more organised way for my own benefit. Excess propolis was provided to a naturopath, who further processed it to create health products for her clients.

From April 2022, I expanded the propolis collection to more hives. Collecting propolis has encouraged me to think about hive management in different ways and increased my interest in bee behaviour generally. Propolis offers a good opportunity to increase the productivity of my hives with minimal equipment and demands little extra time. With the exception of pollen, it is probably the easiest hive product to harvest.

I think propolis has large potential benefits for beekeepers, who wish to improve their situation, but do not yet have commercial numbers of hives. In Western Australia, propolis is largely decentralised and not yet at the level of commercial production. As we consider a variety of ways to manage propolis production, harvest and clean, process and market them, we can connect with and meet an existing domestic and international consumer demand for natural, healthy products.

Ivan Lozada Lawag

My PhD research is about the antioxidant activity and phytochemical determination of honey and bee pollen. After the development of the assays and compound determination in our lab, we thought that it could also be applied to Propolis, therefore, we also started analysing propolis as a side project.

I have been analysing propolis for one year now. I had performed antioxidant analysis and HPTLC fingerprinting of propolis samples, and recently, the analysis of the phenolic compounds present in it.

Propolis has a lot of potentials when it comes to health, and it is still understudied. It possesses a very high number of phenolic compounds, and since there are already established systems in the lab, we can now easily determine most of its properties. Also, the propolis samples that we have here in Western Australia are pretty much unique as compared to the ones in other parts of the world, therefore, chances of finding new compounds with potential bioactivities is possible.

Daniela Boksjo

I suppose my passion for Propolis started in childhood (in fact, a "love - hate") relationship with Propolis because that's how my indigenous grandmother treated us for colds, flu and sore throat, and Brazilian propolis has a pungent smell to it therefore the "hate" side of it. She also made beauty products (mostly balms) using honey and propolis.

As a scientist, I find propolis a quite intriguing substance, and I love observing how the bees deposit the propolis in the beehives and how different beehives yield different types of propolis. Some harder, some more like a paste.

I'm fascinated by the composition of propolis and its phenolic compounds and the quality markers for those compounds. That's how I initially started collaborating with Ivan because I can harvest and work with different methods of extraction, but to be able to analyse the components in the propolis and its extracts, the use of HPLC is needed (High-performance liquid chromatography), and I knew that from my Uni days. (I'm a Bachelor of Food Science and Technology).

At the moment I'm developing a range of beauty products using Propolis, inspired by the "KBeauty" (Korean Beauty) movement. Korean Beauty products make use of high-efficacy, natural ingredients, and Propolis is a commonly used ingredient for its antioxidant and anti-aging properties for the skin. I'll bring a Korean product on the day to demonstrate and also the products I'm currently developing.