How often do Bees get Sick?

Bee hives are a remarkably clean place, not just in appearance or due to good housekeeping on the part of the worker bees...it is clean bacterially, at a microscopic level too. When bees produce their wax, it is secreted along with another substance called propolis which essentially acts as an antibiotic that stops bacteria in its tracks.

For years people who have chewed fresh beeswax have have noticed cleaner and fresher breath, fewer cavities and a marked decrease in aphthous mouth sores and gingivitis. The reasons for why this may happen were merely conjecture until the discovery of propolis, the natural beeswax additive that acts like an antibiotic.