Bee WARE

Umair and the lab spent 6 months testing bee propolis. Here's what they found.

Hospital-acquired infections are driven by "ESKAPE" pathogens, a group of drug-resistant bacteria that are hard to treat. Every strain we tested was antibiotic-resistant.

Across multiple propolis samples, using disc diffusion assays:

🔬 Every propolis sample showed activity against Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of skin infections
🔬 Zones of inhibition reached 15 mm against S. aureus and 16 mm against K. pneumoniae
🔬 One sample was active against P. aeruginosa (13 mm)
🔬 FTIR profiling showed distinct chemical fingerprints between samples, so propolis is not one uniform thing. Where it comes from matters.

That last point is why we're careful about sourcing.

The result is their Lavender Propolis Soap, built on this research. Natural protection, gentle care. 🐝

This work is a collaboration between National University of Medical Sciences | NUMS Official, Himalayan Harvest, ZemBioTech Ltd, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan bringing together microbiology research, biotechnology and product development to turn lab findings into everyday skincare.

There's more to explore: more strains, more samples, deeper characterization. But after 6 months of lab work, we're excited about what propolis can do.

Huge thanks to Hafiz Arbab Sakandar, PhD and the whole team across all our partner institutions.

Who wants to learn how to catch a swarm? 👇👇

Beekeeping mistakes can be expensive, and sometimes you only realise it when it’s too late.

You might skip an inspection because you’re busy, thinking you’ll check the hive next week. But in that time, your colony could prepare to swarm.

Or maybe your colony looks fine from the outside, so you don’t notice that it’s getting weaker until the problem becomes much harder to manage.

These things happen, especially when you’re still learning. And even experienced beekeepers know there’s always something new to watch out for.

Knowing what to look for can help you catch problems early, make better decisions, and give your colonies a better chance of staying strong.

That’s why we share practical beekeeping advice here and on our beekeeping courses that you can use in your own apiary, helping you learn from common mistakes before they cost you a colony.

Don’t forget to access our Bee Mail! We share over 20 years of beekeeping experience to help you learn from the mistakes we’ve made, avoid the same problems, and make better decisions for your colonies.

https://www.startbeekeeping.co.za/subscribe

How’s your colony building up this October?

Are your bees drawing out brood frames nicely, or are you starting to run out of space in the brood box?

What are you seeing in your hives this spring? 👀

Got a catch box but no bees? 🐝

Getting a swarm to move into your box takes more than putting one out and hoping for the best.

Knowing how to lure bees and set up a catch box is a useful skill when you're looking to grow your apiary.

It's one of the practical topics covered in our **Intermediate Beekeeping Course**.

📅 Saturday, 17 October 2026
📍Midrand, Gauteng

This is our second-to-last Intermediate Course of the year.

Register online here:
https://beeware.co.za/product/practical-intermediate-bee-course-17-october-2026/

Lekker!! We getting close now! Tomorrow we do our first test run of the new Wax rolling factory after months of building after we took over from Kobus who left to go to the USA...

We are keeping the legacy alive and the high quality service he provided to the customers that sent in their own beeswax to be weighed, filtered, melted and processed into wax foundation sheets to be collected or shipped back to them!

The machines are oiled and ready.
The Wax rolling factory is now installed.
The first batch of wax will begin tomorrow as we run a factory test.
Then from next week we will be officially ready for production!



If you want to get in the queue - we have a waiting list for production - visit the link in the comment below. 🤳 🏋

Happy follow-versary to my awesome followers. Thanks for all of your support! Makhauhelo Tlouoe

It’s one thing to inspect a hive. It’s another to understand how to raise new queens and use that knowledge to manage your colonies better.

That’s the kind of next-level skill we get into during our Intermediate Beekeeping Course — practical learning, hands-on work, and a deeper look at what’s happening inside the hive.

If you’ve got the basics down and you’re ready to take your beekeeping a step further, this is where you can start.

Come join our Intermediate Beekeeping Course
Oct 17, 2026 Saturday
Venue: Midrand, Gauteng Province.

Don’t miss one of our final Intermediate Beekeeping Courses of 2026!

+27 12 771 4288
[email protected]

Register here: https://beeware.co.za/product/practical-intermediate-bee-course-17-october-2026/