Beekeeping Glossary Version: 1/19/2018

Beekeeping Glossary Version: 1/19/2018 A Abdomen the posterior or third region of the body of a bee enclosing the honey stomach, true stomach, intestine, sting, and reproductive organs. Absconding swarm a swarm composed of an entire colony of bees abandons the hive due to disease, pests, parasites, or other maladies. Africanized Honey Bee (AHB) - a race of bees, Apis mellifera scutellata. Created in an attempt to increase bee production. Highly productive and also highly aggressive. Afterswarm - the secondary or tertiary swarm that leave the hive after the first swarm of the season. Afterswarms usually have virgin queens. Alighting Board a small projection or platform at the entrance of the hive. Also referred to as a Landing Board. American foulbrood (AFB) a brood disease of honey bees caused by the spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus larvae. Ambrosia - see Bee bread Anaphylactic shock constriction of the muscles surrounding the bronchial tubes of a human, caused by hypersensitivity to venom and potentially resulting in death unless immediate medical attention is received. Antenna - pl. antennae - the long, thin sensory organs on the bee's head, used for taste and smell. Anther - a component of the flower where pollen grains are produced. Part of the stamen. Apiary colonies, hives, and other equipment assembled in one location for beekeeping operations; bee yard. Apiculture the science and art of raising honey bees. Apis mellifera scientific name of the honey bee found in the United States. Attendants - worker bees that are attending the queen. When used in the context of queens in cages, these are the workers that are added to the cage to care for the queen. Attendants feed, groom and clean the queen. B Balling - worker bees surrounding a queen either to confine her because they reject her, or to confine her to protect her. Banking queens - putting multiple caged queens in a nuc or hive. Bearding - when bees congregate on the front of the hive. Bee bread a mixture of collected pollen and nectar or honey, deposited in the cells of a comb to be used as food by the bees. Also referred to as ambrosia. Bee bread is a creation made with around 25% honey or nectar and 70% pollen, and 5% bee saliva. Bees pack it tightly in comb cells. After a few weeks of fermentation, the bee bread is ready to be used to feed the bees. Bee brush a brush or whisk broom used to remove bees from combs. Bee escape a device used to remove bees from honey supers and buildings by permitting bees to pass one way but preventing their return. Bee glue - Propolis - Plant resin that bees collect and use in the hive to seal cracks and soften rough edges. See Propolis. 1

Bee-haver - a derogatory term for a person who owns bees but who lacks skills and knowledge to effectively care for them. Beehive a box or receptacle with movable frames, used for housing a colony of bees. Bee metamorphosis the three stages through which a bee passes before reaching maturity: egg, larva, and pupa. Bees nest - where bees raise their young. May be large (as in honeybees) or individual (as in bumble bees or mason bees). The nest may be in a hollow cavity either above or below ground depending on the species. Bee space 1/4 to 3/8-inch space between combs and hive parts in which bees build no comb or deposit only a small amount of propolis. Beeswax a complex mixture of organic compounds secreted by special glands on the last four visible segments on the ventral side of the worker bee s abdomen and used for building comb. Its melting point is from 143.6 to 147.2 degrees F. Bee venom the poison secreted by special glands attached to the stinger of the bee. Bee yard - an apiary Biodiversity - the relative abundance and variety of plant and animal species and ecosystems within a particular habitat. Boardman Feeder - a device for feeding bees that consists of an inverted jar with an attachment allowing access to the hive entrance. Bottom board the floor of a beehive. Bottom supering - the act of placing honey supers under all the existing honey supers, directly on top of the brood box. The theory is the bees will work it better when its directly above the brood chamber as opposed to TOP supering which would be just putting the supers on top of the existing supers. Brace comb a bit of comb built between two combs to fasten them together, between a comb and adjacent wood, or between two wooden parts such as top bars. Brood bees not yet emerged from their cells: eggs, larvae, and pupae. Brood chamber the part of the hive in which the brood is reared; may include one or more hive bodies and the combs within. Buckfast - a race of bees developed by Brother Adam of Buckfast Abbey. Tend to rob like the Italians, but more resistant to tracheal mites. Burr comb - disorganized comb that bees build in random locations in the hive. C Capped brood pupae whose cells have been sealed with a porous cover by mature bees to isolate them during their nonfeeding pupal period; also called sealed brood. Cappings the thin wax covering of cells full of honey; the cell coverings after they are sliced from the surface of a honey-filled comb. Carniolan - a race of bees, Apis mellifera carnica. These are darker brown to black and in theory are better in northern climates. They are reported by some to be less productive than Italian bees. Castes the three types of bees that comprise the adult population of a honey bee colony: workers, drones, and queen. Caucasian - a race of bees, Apis mellifera caucasia. They are silver gray to dark brown color. They propolize excessively. Reputed to be more gentle than Italians and less prone to robbing. Cell the hexagonal compartment of a honey comb. Chilled brood immature bees that have died from exposure to cold; commonly caused by mismanagement. Chunk honey honeycomb cut from frames and placed in jars along with liquid honey. 2

Clarifying process of filtering or removing visible foreign material from honey or wax to increase its purity. Cluster a large group of bees hanging together, one upon another. Cocoon - protective covering around the pupae. Colony the aggregate of worker bees, drones, queen, and developing brood living together as a family unit in a hive or other dwelling. Comb a mass of six-sided cells made by honey bees in which brood is reared and honey and pollen are stored; composed of two layers united at their bases. Comb foundation a commercially made structure consisting of thin sheets of beeswax with the cell bases of worker cells embossed on both sides in the same manner as they are produced naturally by honey bees. Comb honey honey produced and sold in the comb, in either thin wooden sections (4 x 4 inches or 4 x 5 inches) or circular plastic frames. Cordovan - a race of bees which is a subset of the Italians. It's technically just a color. Slightly more gentle, slightly more likely to rob and quite striking to look at. They have no black on them and look very yellow with purplish brown legs and head. Creamed honey honey which has been allowed to crystallize, usually under controlled conditions, to produce a tiny crystal. Cross-pollination the transfer of pollen from an anther of one plant to the stigma of a different plant of the same species. Crystallization see Granulation. Cut-comb honey comb honey cut into various sizes, the edges drained, and the pieces wrapped or packed individually. D Demaree the method of swarm control that separates the queen from most of the brood within the same hive. Deep - A box that is 9 5/8" deep and the frame is 9 1/4" deep. Sometimes called a Langstroth Deep. Dequeen to remove a queen from a colony. Dextrose one of the two principal sugars found in honey; forms crystals during granulation. Also known as glucose. Dividing or Division separating a colony to form two or more units.- Also referred to as a Split. Division board feeder a wooden or plastic compartment which is hung in a hive like a frame and contains sugar syrup to feed bees. Drawn comb honeycomb with cells built out by honey bees from a sheet of foundation. Drone the male honey bee. Drone comb comb measuring about four cells per linear inch that is used for drone rearing and honey storage. Drone Congregation Area - A mating area - a place that drones from many surrounding hives congregate to wait for a queen to come. Drone layer an infertile or unmated laying queen, resulting only in drones. Drumming pounding on the sides of a hive to make the bees ascend into another hive placed over it. Dwindling the rapid dying off of old bees in the spring; sometimes called spring dwindling or disappearing disease. 3

Dysentery an abnormal condition of adult bees characterized by severe diarrhea and usually caused by starvation, low-quality food, moist surroundings, or nosema infection. Evidence of dysentery is brown or yellow streaks on the front of the hive. Usually caused by long confinement from either cold or beekeeper manipulation, starvation, low quality food or nosema infection. E Egg The first stage of bee metamorphosis. The egg is placed in a cell by the queen bee. A fertilized egg develops into a worker bee. An unfertilized egg develops into a drone. Entrance reducer - a wooden strip used to regulate the size of the hive entrance. European foulbrood an infectious brood disease of honey bees caused by streptococcus. Extracted honey honey removed from the comb by centrifugal force. Extractor - see also Honey Extractor - a machine used to remove honey from the cells of the honeycomb by centrifugal force. F Fermentation a chemical breakdown of honey, caused by sugar-tolerant yeast and associated with honey having a high moisture content. Fertile queen a queen, inseminated instrumentally or mated with a drone, which can lay fertilized eggs. Field bees worker bees at least three weeks old that work in the field to collect nectar, pollen, water, and propolis. Also called foragers. Food chamber a hive body filled with honey for winter stores. Fondant - a soft, pliable sugar candy used as a backup food supply for bees, usually fed in winter until natural food sources are available. Forager bees - see Field bees. Foundation a thin sheet either of plastic or beeswax, with the cell bases of worker cells embossed on both sides in the way as they are produced naturally by honeybees. Foundation is placed within a wooden frame before installing in the hive. If the foundation is plastic, it is normally sprayed with beeswax to induce the bees to build out the comb on the embossed cells. Frame four pieces of wood designed to hold honey comb, consisting of a top bar, a bottom bar, and two end bars. Frame Feeder - a wooden or plastic compartment which takes the place of one of the frames, and contains sugar syrup to feed bees. Fructose the predominant simple sugar found in honey; also known as levulose. Fumagilin-B - an antibiotic powder used to control Nosema disease Fume Board - a device used to hold a set amount of volatile chemicals to drive bees from supers. G German or English native bees - a race of bees, Apis mellifera mellifera. These are bees native to Germany or England. They do well in damp cold climates and tend to be excitable on the comb and a bit swarmy. Adapt well to Northern climates. Grafting removing a worker larva from its cell and placing it in an artificial queen cup in order to have it reared into a queen. Grafting tool - a needle or probe designed for transferring larvae from a worker cell into a queen cell. Granulation the formation of sugar (dextrose) crystals in honey. 4

Guard Bees - worker bees about 3 weeks old, and have the maximum amount of alarm pheromone and venom. They challenge all incoming bees and intruders. H Hive a man-made home for bees. Hive body a wooden box which encloses the frames. See also Brood Chamber Hive stand a structure that supports the hive. Hive tool a metal device used to open hives, pry frames apart, and scrape wax and propolis from the hive parts. Honey nectar that has been dehydrated by the bees so that it contains no more than 17-18% percent water. Honey contains small amounts of sucrose, mineral matter, vitamins, proteins, and enzymes. Honey bound - a condition where the brood nest of a hive is nearly filled with honey. This usually happens just before swarming and in the fall to prepare for winter. Honeydew - a sweet liquid excreted by aphids, leafhoppers and some scale insects that is collected by bees especially in the absence of a good source of nectar. Honey extractor a machine which removes honey from the cells of comb by centrifugal force. Honey flow a time when nectar is plentiful and bees produce and store surplus honey. Honey house building used for extracting honey and storing equipment. Honey stomach an organ in the abdomen of the honey bee used for carrying nectar, honey, or water. Honey Super - refers to the boxes and frames used for surplus honey storage. From the Latin "super" for above as a designation for any box above the brood chambers. See also Super. Hot (temperament) - bees that are overly defensive or outright aggressive. I Increase to add to the number of colonies, usually by dividing or splitting existing hives to create new ones. Infertile - incapable of producing a fertilized egg, as a laying worker or drone laying queen. Unfertilized eggs develop into drones. Inner cover a lightweight cover used under a standard telescoping cover on a beehive. Insecticide - a chemical designed to kill insects. Invertase an enzyme produced by the honey bee which helps to transform sucrose to dextrose and levulose. Italian Bees - a common race of bees, Apis mellifera ligustica, with brown and yellow bands, from Italy. Usually gentle and productive but tend to rob. J K L Landing Board - a horizontal surface just below the hive entrance where bees may land or congregate. Also referred to as Alighting Board. 5

Larva (plural, larvae) the second stage of bee metamorphosis; a white, legless, grub like insect. Laying worker a worker which lays infertile eggs, producing only drones, usually in colonies that are hopelessly queenless. Leg baskets - also called pollen baskets. A flattened depression surrounded by curved spines located on the outside of the bees hind legs and adapted for carrying flower pollen and propolis. Lemon Grass essential oil - Essential oil used as a swarm lure. Lemon grass oil contains all of the compounds known to affect the behavior of the bees in all but one of the compounds of Nasonov pheromone. Levulose see Fructose. LUS - A race of bees - also called Thelytoky. Small black bees similar to Carniolans or Italians in production and temperament but have mite resistance and have the ability of a laying worker to raise a new queen. M Marking - Painting a small dot of enamel on the back of the thorax of a queen to make her easier to identify and so you can tell if she has been superseded. Mating flight the flight taken by a virgin queen while she mates in the air with several drones. Mead honey wine. Medium = A box that is 6 5/8" in depth and the frames are 6 1/4" in depth. AKA Illinois AKA Western AKA 3/4 depth. Melittology - the study of bees. Midnite - a race of bees. A cross of Caucasian and Carniolan. They have hybrid vigor that disappears with the next generation of queen - similar to Starline. Migratory beekeeping moving colonies of bees from one location to another during a single season to take advantage of two or more honey flows. Mouse Guard - a device to reduce the entrance to a hive so that mice cannot enter. N Nasonov - a pheromone given off by a gland under the tip of the abdomen of workers that serves primarily as an orientation pheromone. It's essential to swarming behavior and Nasonov is set off by disturbance of the colony. Natural comb - comb that bees have built on their own without foundation. Nectar a sweet liquid secreted by the nectaries of plants; the raw product of honey. Nectaries the organs of plants which secrete nectar, located within the flower (floral nectaries) or on other portions of the plant (extrafloral nectaries). Neonicotinoid - a class of insecticides which act on the central nervous system of insects and are chemically similar to nicotine. Nosema a disease of the adult honey bee that lives in the intestines and destroys the cells in the midgut. It affects honeybee nutrition and shortens the life of worker bees. Nuc - see also Nucleus Nucleus (plural, nuclei) a small hive of bees, usually covering from two to five frames of comb and used primarily for starting new colonies, rearing or storing queens; also called nuc. Nurse bees young bees, three to ten days old, which feed and take care of developing brood. 6

O Observation hive a hive made largely of glass or clear plastic to permit observation of bees at work. Open-Air Nest - a colony that has built its nest in the open limbs of a tree rather than in the hollow of a tree or a hive. Orientation flight - short flights around the hive taken by young bees in order to prepare for foraging. Out-apiary an apiary situated away from the home of the beekeeper. Outer cover - the last cover that fits over a hive to protect it from rain. The most common type in the US is a telescoping cover. Over-wintering - the process of survival during the winter months during which bees live on stores collected during the spring and summer. Bees do not hibernate but actively maintain colony temperatures by clustering. P Package bees a quantity of adult bees (2 to 5 pounds), with or without a queen, contained in a screened shipping cage. Paralysis a virus disease of adult bees which affects their ability to use legs or wings normally. Parasitic Mites - Varroa or tracheal mites that cause many problems for bees and beekeepers. Parthenogenesis the development of young from unfertilized eggs. In honey bees the un-fertilized eggs produce drones. PDB (Paradichlorobenzene) crystals used to fumigate combs against wax moth. Pheromone - a chemical substance released by an animal to induce a response in another animal of the same species. Often used as a means of communication. Piping a series of sounds made by a queen, frequently before she emerges from her cell. Play flight short flight taken in front of or near the hive to acquaint young bees with their immediate surroundings; sometimes mistaken for robbing or preparation for swarming. Pollen the male reproductive cell bodies produced by anthers of flowers, collected and used by honey bees as their source of protein. Pollen basket a flattened depression surrounded by curved spines or hairs, located on the outer surface of the bee s hind legs and adapted for carrying pollen gathered from flowers or propolis to the hive. Pollen patty moist mixtures of either pollen supplements or substitutes fed to the bees in early spring to stimulate brood rearing. Pollen insert a device inserted in the entrance of a colony into which hand-collected pollen is placed. As the bees leave the hive and pass through the trap, some of the pollen adheres to their bodies and is carried to the blossom, resulting in cross-pollination. Pollen substitute any material such as soybean flour, powdered skim milk, brewer s yeast, or a mixture of these used in place of pollen to stimulate brood rearing. Pollen supplement a mixture of pollen and pollen substitutes used to stimulate brood rearing in periods of pollen shortage. Pollen trap a device for removing pollen loads from the pollen baskets of incoming bees. Pollination the transfer of pollen from the anthers to the stigma of flowers. Pollinator the agent that transfers pollen from an anther to a stigma: bees, flies, beetles, etc. Prime swarm the first swarm to leave the parent colony, usually with the old queen. Proboscis the mouthparts of the bee that form the sucking tube or tongue. 7

Propolis sap or resinous materials collected from trees or plants by bees and used to strengthen the comb, close up cracks, etc. Propolis is high in antimicrobial substances. See also: Bee glue. Pupa the third stage in the development of the honey bee, during which the organs of the larva are replaced by those that will be used by an adult. Q Queen a fully developed female bee, larger and longer than a worker bee. Queen cage a small cage in which a queen and three or four worker bees may be confined for shipping and/ or introduction into a colony. Queen cage candy candy made by kneading powdered sugar with invert sugar syrup until it forms a stiff dough; used as food in queen cages. Queen cell a special elongated cell, resembling a peanut shell, in which the queen is reared. It is usually an inch or more long, has an inside diameter of about 1/3 inch, and hangs down from the comb in a vertical position. Queen clipping removing a portion of one or both front wings of a queen to prevent her from flying. Queen cup a cup-shaped cell made of beeswax or plastic which hangs vertically in a hive and which may become a queen cell if an egg or larva is placed in it and bees add wax to it. Queen excluder metal or plastic device with spaces that permit the passage of workers but restrict the movement of drones and queens to a specific part of the hive. Queenless - a colony without a mated queen. Queen Mandibular Pheromone - Also called Queen substance or QMP - a pheromone produced by the queen and fed to her attendants who share it with the rest of the colony. This provides the colony with a sense of being queenright. Newly emerged queens produce very little QMP. After 6 days they produce enough to attract drones for mating. A laying queen produces twice that amount. QMP is responsible for the preventing supercedure (creation of a replacement queen), stabilizing the organization of a swarm, attracting attendants, stimulating foraging and brood rearing and the general moral of a colony. Lack of QMP attracts robber bees. Queenright - a colony with a fully functioning mated queen. Queen substance pheromone material secreted from glands in the queen bee and transmitted throughout the colony by workers to alert other workers of the queen s presence. R Race of Bees - There are several popular races of honey bees raised in North America. Common races include: Buckfast, German or English native bees, Carniolan, Caucasian, Cordovan, Italian, LUS (Thelytoky) Midnight, Russian, Starline, Africanized Honey Bees (AHB). Raw honey - honey that has not been heated or finely filtered. Rendering wax the process of melting combs and cappings and removing refuse from the wax. Re-queen - Process of removing an old queen from the colony and replacing her with a new queen. Retinue - worker bees that attend to the queen. See Also Attendants. Robber Bee - Bees which enter weak or dying colonies to steal honey. Robbing stealing of nectar, or honey, by bees from other colonies. Royal jelly a highly nutritious glandular secretion of young bees, used to feed the queen and young brood. Russian - a race of bees bred for mite resistance. Defensive and guard the queen very well. 8

S Sacbrood a brood disease of honey bees caused by a virus. Scout bees worker bees searching for a new source of pollen, nectar, propolis, water, or a new home for a swarm of bees. Screened bottom board - a bottom board that has a screen on to allow for ventilation and allow Varroa mites to fall through. Sealed brood see Capped brood. Self-pollination the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma of the same plant. Shallow - a box that is 5 11/16" or 5 3/4" deep with frames that are 5 1/2" deep. Shaken Swarm - an artificial swarm made by shaking bees off of combs into a screened box then putting a caged queen in until they accept her. One method for making a divide. Also the method used to make packages of bees. Skep a beehive made of twisted straw without movable frames. It is illegal in the US as combs are not inspectable. Slatted rack a wooden rack that fits between the bottom board and hive body. Bees make better use of the lower brood chamber with increased brood rearing, less comb gnawing, and less congestion at the front entrance. Slumgum - the debris from melted combs and cappings after the wax has been rendered or removed. Usually contains cocoons, pollen, bee bodies and dirt. Small Hive Beetle - a recently imported pest whose larvae will destroy comb and ferment honey. Smoker a device in which burlap, wood shavings, or other materials are slowly burned to produce smoke which is used to subdue bees. Solar wax extractor a glass-covered insulated box used to melt wax from combs and cappings by the heat of the sun. Spermatheca a special organ of the queen in which the sperm of the drones is stored. Split - separating a colony to form two or more units. Also referred to as a Division, or Dividing. Spur embedder a device used for mechanically embedding wires into foundation by employing hand pressure. Stamen - the male pollen-bearing part of the flower consisting of the anther and the filament. Starline - a race of honey bees, just like Italians. Two strains of Italians are kept separate and their hybrid is what the Starling queen is. They are prolific and productive, but subsequent queens (supercedures, emergency and swarms) are disappointing. If you buy a Starline queen, you will need to requeen every year to get very good results. Starter hive - a box of shaken bees and a queen used to start a colony. Sting the modified ovipositor of a worker honey bee used as a weapon of offense. Only female bees can sting. Drones do not have stingers. Sucrose principal sugar found in nectar. Sugar syrup - feed for bees containing cane or beet sugar and hot water in various ratios. Usually 1:1 in the spring and 2:1 in the fall. Super - any hive body or smaller box, used for the storage of surplus honey, which the beekeeper will harvest. Normally it is placed over or above the brood chamber. Supercedure a natural replacement of an established queen by the hive. Shortly after the young queen begins laying eggs, the old queen disappears. Supercedure cell - a queen cell usually found in the center of the frame. Surplus honey honey removed from the hive which exceeds that needed by bees for their own use. 9

Swarm the reproduction of an entire colony that occurs when a colony splits into two parts. The old part is left with a new queen and the new split (swarm), takes the old queen to establish a new colony. Swarm cell queen cells usually found on the bottom of the combs before swarming. Systemic Pesticide - a pesticide that is absorbed and circulated by a plant or animal so that the plan or animal becomes toxic to pests that feed on it. T Terramycin - an antibiotic used to prevent American and European foulbrood. Tested queen a queen whose progeny shows she has mated with a drone of her own race and has other qualities which would make her a good colony mother. Thin super foundation a comb foundation used for comb honey or chunk honey production which is thinner than that used for brood rearing. Thorax - the middle region of the bee body that supports the wings and legs Top supering - the act of placing honey supers on TOP of the top super of a colony in expectation of a honey flow as opposed to putting I under all the other honey supers and directly on top of the brood box, which would be BOTTOM supering. Trachea - Breathing anatomy in the bee, consisting of branching tubes that transfer oxygen. Tracheal Mite - (Acarapis woodi): Parasites that infest the trachea of the honey bee. Transferring the process of changing bees and combs from common boxes to movable frame hives. Travel stain the dark discoloration on the surface of comb honey left on the hive for some time, caused by bees tracking propolis over the surface. Trophallaxis - direct transfer of food between bees. U Uncapped brood - eggs and larvae not yet covered by wax. Uncapping knife a knife used to shave or remove the wax cappings from combs of sealed honey prior to extraction; usually heated by steam or electricity. Uncapping tank - a collection container over which frames of honey are uncapped, and the honey is allowed to drain out. Uniting combining two or more colonies to form a larger colony. V Varroa or Varroa mites - (Varroa destructor) - parasites that feed on bees and reproduce on the pupae. Venom allergy a condition in which a person, when stung, may experience a variety of symptoms ranging from a mild rash or itchiness to anaphylactic shock. A person who is stung and experiences abnormal symptoms should consult a physician before working bees again. Ventral abdominal segments - the under-side of the abdominal segments. Virgin queen an unmated queen. W Wax glands eight glands that secrete bees wax; located in pairs on the last four visible ventral abdominal segments. 10

Wax moth larvae of the moth Golleria mellonclia, which seriously damage brood and empty combs. Winter cluster the arrangement of adult bees within the hive during winter. Bees will form a ball around the queen to maintain warmth. Worker bee a female bee whose reproductive organs are undeveloped. Worker bees do all the work in the colony except for laying fertile eggs. Worker comb comb measuring about five cells to the inch, in which workers are reared and honey and pollen are stored. X Y Z 11