Bee hives found to be 'living immune systems' that protect bees

Researchers have discovered honey beehives act as ‘living immune systems’ that help protect the bee colony, their offspring, and food supplies from disease.

The finding underlines the need to protect bee habitat, to ensure their health.

In a remarkable example of insect engineering each part of the hive – from the beeswax, honey and pollen to the propolis, a sticky material bees collect from plants – is ‘built in’ strategically across different compartments of the hive.

The location of these hive materials, combined with their unique antimicrobial and chemical properties, work together to repel disease and to encourage helpful fungi and bacteria.

This is similar to how the human immune system helps manage both helpful and harmful microbes in our body, such as in our gut.

However, there’s a catch. Researchers found the hive’s natural defences depended heavily on the surrounding environment and acted like a mirror to the ecosystem. Honey bees can only build strong hive defence systems from the quality of resources available to create the building materials.

Beehives that were located closer to native bushland or agricultural land showed measurably different chemical defences, revealing the unseen impact of ecosystems on a hive’s capacity to fend off disease.

“Hives are not only homes for bees, but also act as their workplaces, restaurants and hospitals, and now we can add immune systems to the list,” says lead researcher Dr Kenya Fernandes.

“We already know honey, beeswax and propolis have antimicrobial properties independently. But what came as a surprise was how these materials were placed in the hive wasn’t random, but organised. The hive’s antimicrobial properties worked together to protect the eggs and larvae, as well as the fermented pollen the bees consume.”.

https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2026/10/20/bee-hives-found-to-be-living-immune-systems-that-protect-bees.html

Declaration: This work was supported by a New South Wales Bushfire Industry Recovery Package Sector Development Grant and an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award.