Propolis

Propolis is a sticky gum-like substance that bees collect from trees and plants around them. From these trees and plants, bees hunt for the substances they need which they then combine with their own enzymes - making propolis. It’s used in the beehive to protect bees from many viral and bacterial infections, thanks to propolis’ natural antibiotic compounds.

Recent scientific research is showing that New Zealand propolis has amazing healing properties – in fact, it’s up to five times stronger medicinally than other propolis from around the world.

The Honey Centre is proud to only use New Zealand propolis.

Honey

A thick, golden liquid produced by busy bees, honey is made using the nectar of flowering plants and saved inside the beehive for eating during times of food shortage.

Bees make honey by extracting nectar (a sugary liquid) from flowers, using their long tube-shaped tongues. This is then stored in its extra stomach, where it mixes with enzymes that transform its chemical composition and pH levels.

When the honeybee returns to the hive, it passes the nectar to another bee through a regurgitation process. This process ends with the partially digested nectar being deposited into a honeycomb.

Royal Jelly

Royal jelly is used to prepare larvae for royal duties, as the queen of the beehive. It is secreted from worker bees, and fed to all larvae in the colony, regardless of sex or caste.

When worker bees decide to make a new queen (because the current one is either weakening or dead), they choose some small larvae and feed them plenty of royal jelly in specially constructed queen cells. This triggers the development of the necessary queen composition, including the fully developed ovaries needed to lay eggs.