Raw, or pure, propolis is a substance that takes the form of resin and is characterised by its dark colour and strong, sour taste. Bees use it in the hive as a sealant and disinfectant/antibacterial. I extract it from the ranges and barks of certain types of trees. In order to obtain this valuable substance, trees must have a strong resinous component, such as that found in firs, alders, birches, then horse chestnuts, hazels, pines, poplars, elms and oaks.
We mainly retrieve it with nets that we place between the coverlet and the hive nest in summer and spring or, to a small extent, by scraping.
