48 



ON THE PROPOLIS OR MASTIC OF BLE§« 



Its general pre 

 pertie3 and ap- 

 plication. 



Amlyfis of the Propolis or Maftic of Bees* By dr. 

 Vaucuelin. 



mXc! 8 ° r bCe HE P ro P oIis is wel1 known to be, (tie firft matter coleSc^ 



by the bees of a fwarm, newly placed in a hive. This 4<ib- 

 fiance, is refmous, duclile, adorant and of a reddiih brown 

 colour, more or lefs deep. 



The propolis adheres fo ftrongly to the legs and feet ,of the- 

 bee, which has colle&ed it, that it is not able to free itfelvfrom 

 it. Other working bees, to whom this bee feems to^refent 

 its legs, carry off, with their jaws, this tenacious matter, and 

 apply it round the infide of. the hive, .particularly over aJJ the 

 projections: hence this name of propolis, i which figmfies in 

 the Greek before the city. ' '. 2 " h 



This propolis is at, .firft foft and Veryi«extenfibfe;- 'rjiu't it 

 hardens, and at lad becomes very folid. It is not yet known 

 from what part of plantVit is extracted : it is believed' that it 

 comes from that fpecies of gum-refin whrcn coals and defends 

 mod of the buds, of trees and flirubs from wet. By Continu- 

 ing this work withinfide the hive, all the foreign bodies, which 

 are introduced into thejeommon habitation jand areVtoo heavy 

 to be removed to the outtide, are covered over w^lh this mat- 

 ter, and thus put out of the boundary. 



The following are the obfervations made by Cit. Vauquelin 

 on this fubjeel, and which he has inferted in a report made to 

 the Society of Agriculture, in concert with Cit. Lafteyrie. 



In the mafs it is blackiih; but it is femitranfparent when in 

 thin plates. The heat of the fingers is fufficient to foften it 

 and give it all the ductility of wax: but it is more ropy and 

 tenacious. Like wax it may be kneaded between the teeth, 

 without any perceptible tafte. Its odour is aromatic, refem- 

 bling that of melilot, of balfam of Peru, or of the Banana 

 poplar. 



One hundred grammes of this fubftance were digefted, for 

 twenty-four hours", in very pure alcohol. The liquor accjuired 

 a deep red tint: and was thus filtered. Frefh fpirit of wine 

 was put to the refidue, and left to digeft again in the cold* 

 during twenty-four hours. As it had gained but little colour, 



* Abridged in the Bulletin de la Societe Philomathique, from 

 the Memoirs of the Society of Agriculture of the Department of 

 the Seine. 



5 a third 



Analyfis : 



Solution in al- 

 cohol : 

 filtration* 



