Hello All,
 
Yes, you read the subject line correctly.  We recently had a lengthy
discussion going, for those of you who are new to the list, concerning how
to remove Propolis from clothing and the skin.  And, being the resident
Propolis expert I should have had input on how to remedy this problem.  But,
alas, I too struggled (notice the past tense of the word struggle) with how
to remove this wonderful stuff.  I didn't have any suggestions, until now.
 
I discovered something, quite by accident, last night, that I should have
already known.  There is a chemical substance (notice - I'm leaving you all
in suspense until the very last moment, when I will reveal this miracle
cure) that I have used, and praised its virtues to others, that I should
have known to try.
I read all sorts of suggestions that were posted.  I didn't try most of
them, because they didn't sound like they would work.  I, personally, in the
past, have used "Shout" and "Spray N Wash" and other detergents with mixed
success.
 
The substance, of which I speak, can be used to remove asphalt and tar from
your car, without harming the paint job.  It removes label and tape
adhesives that are left behind after peeling off a label or tape.  It
removes chewing gum, by melting it, from fabrics and hair, without damage.
It will even remove those old, round, black gum spots, out of carpet, that
have been there for a million years.  Some of you have guessed what it is,
already.  The last hint is that it can help you light your cigarette.
That's right, Lighter Fluid!
 
The way I discovered it was this - I had purchased some to remove label glue
from some honey jars.  We then had need of it at work to remove label glue
that had gummed up some scissors.  My wife asked me to bring it back home
because our son had gotten "Big Red" gum on some white shorts.  That same
evening I pulled a Propolis trap out of the freezer to extract the Propolis
and was having difficulty getting it all out, so I used my pocket-knife.
Naturally, it ended up with Propolis stuck to it.  When it came time to stop
for the evening, I wondered what I was going to clean my knife with.  There
was the Lighter Fluid on the counter.  So, I tried it.  It dissolved the
Propolis as pretty as you please.
 
So, shout Hallelujah!  Our sticky days are over!  And, unlike the wonderful
"Bees as weapons" story, this post has no punchline.  It's the real McCoy.
 
 
See ya'll round the list,
Happy Beeing,
 
 
Mike Wallace
Sar Shalom Apiary
McKinney, Texas   USA
"Out of the heart, the mouth speaks."