Hives also produce beeswax, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. The beeswax is secreted by special glands on the bees’ stomachs. A worker bee will chew the wax and shape it to form the honeycombs in the hive.
Propolis, also called bee glue, is a sticky resin collected from trees that bees use to fill in cracks in their honeycomb. They use it as a cover to seal the hive against rain as well as predators or other uninvited guests. Bees are known to use propolis to mummify any interlopers, like a small lizard, for example, that crawl into the hive and die, but are too heavy to be carried out. Propolis is also used in traditional medicine for treating problems like cold sores, although with differing opinions on its effectiveness.
Pollen is an important part of a bee’s diet and provides the bee with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. In the process of collecting pollen, bees also provide an important service: they pollinate plants (spread pollen from one plant to another or sometimes from one part of a plant to another) so that fertilization can occur and the plant can ultimately produce seeds.
The milky substance called royal jelly that is produced in glands in the heads of worker bees helps them determine who will be their new Queen. Although all bees dine on royal jelly, a few larvae picked as future potential queens are fed much larger amounts once the current Queen begins to age or dies. The special diet produces both the brain chemistry and the reproductive organs needed to reign as Queen.