Propolis: Defender of The City

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

First – A Little History

Ten years ago, in 2016, the first International Propolis Conference – Propolis in Human and Bee Health -took place, at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland.

Soon after this first successful conference a group of key researchers – Professors Bankova, Volpi, Paradkar, and Božic – came together to establish the International Propolis Research Group(IPRG) and the rest, as they say, is history.The second international conference was held in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2018, hosted by Professor Vassya Bankova; the third took place in Istanbul at the home of Balparmak in 2024 and the fourth in Brazil in 2025 with the support of Apis Flora. As well as these physical conferences two very successful online conferences were held during the COVID years.

Welcome

Today I want to welcome you to the 5th International Propolis Conference – Propolis: Defender of the City.

This conference will explore the remarkable ability of the honeybee to defend its colony-its “city”-both internally and externally using propolis (from the Greek pro, “before,” and polis, “city”). Equally remarkable is the fact that propolis has been used for thousands of years as a medicine to defend the human body.But propolis is no ordinary, one-dimensional pharmaceutical-style medicine, rather, it represents a newer, gentler, multi-dimensional form of medicine; potentially one of the most powerful natural therapeutic substances in nature.

A Little More History

It is particularly fitting that we will discuss this extraordinary substance within the ancient walled city of York, still today surrounded by 2.5 miles of defensive walls and towers first begun by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. Our meeting will take place in the historic Guildhall, which since 1256 has been a gathering place for the craftsmen and councillors of their time – reflecting yet another aspect of the honeybee; cooperation, industry and mutual support.

Sustainability – Sustainability –  Sustainability 

The conference this year is hosted jointly by Nature’s Laboratory and the University of York.

Nature’s Laboratory is pioneering both sustainable natural medicines and responsible and sustainable business.  The University of York is one of the world’s leading universities developing practical and effective sustainability frameworks in response to global environmental collapse.

This Defender of the City conference will focus on the sustainability challenges we face in relation to both the life of honeybee and to human health and medicine.