I talked to an entomologist PhD candidate friend of mine. He was equally baffled - but doesn't think that any harm will come to the bees. They are good at what they do. It's all pretty neat, nonetheless.
@flaflwrgrl did some neat research and posted it in this thread:
http://garden.org/thread/view_...
I'm going with the making of propolis with caffeic acid as a component.
Thanks for the replies. I sure get a kick out of seeing/learning new things!