The study is aimed at the evaluation of antimicrobial properties of honey and beebread products of different origin. The inhibitory action of 34 honey and 4 beebread samples was tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis by the agar well diffusion method. Total antibacterial activity was evaluated by measuring the clear zone
around the well, and expressed in phenol concentration possessing equivalent activity. Honeysamples were tested after dilution to 50, 25 and 10 % (by mass per volume). The solutions containing 10 % (by mass per volume) of honey did not have any effect on the growth of bacteria; some honey samples had no inhibitory activity on any of the concentrations
used. The contribution of catalase and neutralization to the antimicrobial activity of honey was also assessed. It was found that the antibacterial activity of the tested honeysamples was dependent on hydrogen peroxide formation, while such dependence was not
observed for the beebread samples. Floral source of honey and bacterial culture were othertwo factors related to the antibacterial activity. However, the possible contribution of phytochemicals,which may be transferred to honey, should be assessed by using other methods.
Key words: honey, beebread, antibacterial activity, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis。