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
- an entire colony of bees that abandons the
hive because of disease, wax moth, or other
maladies.
Adulterated honey
- any product labeled "Honey" or "Pure Honey"
that contains ingredients other than honey but
does not show these on the label. (Suspected
mislabeling should be reported to the Food and
Drug Administration.)
Afterswarm
- a small swarm, usually headed by a virgin
queen, which may leave the hive after the first
or prime swarm has departed.
Alighting board
- a small projection or platform at the entrance
of the hive.
American foulbrood
-
a brood disease of honey bees caused by the
spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus larvae.
Anaphylactic shock
- constriction of the muscles surrounding the
bronchial tubes of a human, caused by
hypersensitivity to venom and resulting in
sudden death unless immediate medical attention
is received.
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.
Automatic
uncapper
- automated device that removes the cappings
from honey combs, usually by moving heated
knives, metal teeth, or flails.
Bacillus
larvae
- the bacterium that causes American foulbrood
Bee blower
-
an engine with attached blower used to dislodge
bees from combs in a honey super by creating a
high-velocity, high-volume wind.
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.
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.
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.
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 tree
- a tree with one of more hollows occupied by a
colony of bees.
Bee veil
- a cloth or wire netting for protecting the
beekeeper's head and neck from stings.
Bee venom
- the poison secreted by special glands attached
to the stinger of the bee.
Benzaldehyde
- a volatile, almond-smelling chemical used to
drive bees out of honey supers.
Boardman feeder
- a device for feeding bees in warm weather,
consisting of an inverted jar with an attachment
allowing access to the hive entrance.
Bottom board
- the floor of a beehive.
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.
Braula coeca
- the scientific name of a wingless fly commonly
known as the bee louse.
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.
Buff comb
- a bit of wax built upon a comb or upon a
wooden part in a hive but not connected to any
other part.
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.
Capping melter
-
melter used to liquefy the wax from cappings as
they are removed from honey combs.
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.
Castes
- the three types of bees that comprise the
adult population of a honey bee colony: workers,
drones, and queen.
Cell
- the hexagonal compartment of a honey comb.
Cell bar
-
a wooden strip on which queen cups are placed
for rearing queen bees.
Cell cup
- base of an artificial queen cell, made of
beeswax or plastic and used for rearing queen
bees.
Chilled brood
-
immature bees that have died from exposure to
cold; commonly caused by mismanagement.
Chunk honey
- honey cut from frames and placed in jars along
with liquid honey.
Clarifying
- removing visible foreign material from honey
or wax to increase its purity.
Cluster
- a large group of bees hanging together, one
upon another.
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.
Creamed honey
- honey which has been al lowed to crystallize,
usually under controlled conditions, to produce
a tiny crystal.
Crimp-wired foundation
- comb foundation into which crimp wire is
embedded vertically during foundation
manufacture.
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
Decoy hive
- a hive placed to attract stray swarms.
Demaree
- the method of swarm control that separates the
queen from most of the brood within the same
hive.
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
- separating a colony to form two or more units.
Division board feeder
- a wooden or plastic compartment which is hung
in a hive like a frame and contains sugar syrup
to feed bees.
Double screen
- a wooden frame, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, with
two layers of wire screen to separate two
colonies within the same hive, one above the
other. An entrance is cut on the upper side and
placed to the rear of the hive for the upper
colony.
Drawn combs
- combs with cells built out by honey bees from
a sheet of foundation.
Drifting of bees
- the failure of bees to return to their own
hive in an apiary containing many colonies.
Young bees tend to drift more than older bees,
and bees from small colonies tend to drift into
larger colonies.
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 layer
- an infertile or unmated laying queen.
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.
Dysentery
- an abnormal condition of adult bees
characterized by severe diarrhea and usually
caused by starvation, low-quality food, moist
surroundings, or nosema infection.
Electric embedder
-
a device allowing rapid embedding of wires in
foundation with electrically produced heat.
European foulbrood
- an infectious brood disease of honey bees
caused by streptococcus p/u ton.
Extracted honey
- honey removed from the comb by centrifugal
force.
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.
Flash heater
-
a device for heating honey very rapidly to
prevent it from being damaged by sustained
periods of high temperature.
Follower board
- a thin board used in place of a frame usually
when there are fewer than the normal number of
frames in a hive.
Food chamber
-
a hive body filled with honey for winter stores.
Frame
- four pieces of wood designed to hold honey
comb, consisting of a top bar, a bottom bar, and
two end bars.
Fructose
- the predominant simple sugar found in honey;
also known as levulose.
Fumidil-B
- the trade name for Fumagillin, an antibiotic
used in the prevention and suppression of nosema
disease.
Fume board
- a rectangular frame, the size of a super,
covered with an absorbent material such as
burlap, on which is placed a chemical repellent
to drive the bees out of supers for honey
removal.
Glucose
- see "Dextrose."
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 used for trans ferring
larvae in grafting of queen cells.
Granulation
- the formation of sugar (dextrose) crystals in
honey.
Hive
- a man-made home for bees.
Hive body
- a wooden box which encloses the frames.
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
- a sweet viscid material produced by bees from
the nectar of flowers, composed largely of a
mixture of dextrose and levulose dissolved in
about 17 percent water; contains small amounts
of sucrose, mineral matter, vitamins, proteins,
and enzymes.
Honeydew
- a sweet liquid excreted by aphids,
leaflioppers, 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 gate
- a faucet used for drawing honey from drums,
cans, or extractors.
Honey house
-
building used for extracting honey and storing
equipment.
Honey pump
- a pump used to transfer honey from a sump or
extractor to a holding tank or strainer.
Honey stomach
- an organ in the abdomen of the honey bee used
for carrying nectar, honey, or water.
Honey sump
-
a clarifying tank between the extractor and
honey pump for removing the coarser particles of
comb introduced during extraction.
Increase
-
to add to the number of colonies, usually by
dividing those on hand.
Inner cover
- a lightweight cover used under a standard
telescoping cover on a beehive.
Instrumental insemination
- the introduction of drone spermatozoa into the
genital organs of a virgin queen by means of
special instruments.
Invertase
- an enzyme produced by the honey bee which
helps to transform sucrose to dextrose and
levulose.
Larva (plural, larvae)
- the second stage of bee metamorphosis; a
white, legless, grublike insect.
Laying worker
- a worker which lays infertile eggs, producing
only drones, usually in colonies that are
hopelessly queenless.
Levulose
- see "Fructose."
Mating flight
- the flight taken by a virgin queen while she
mates in the air with several drones.
Mead
- honey wine.
Migratory beekeeping
- the moving of colonies of bees from one
locality to another during a single season to
take advantage of two or more honey flows.
Nectar
- a sweet liquid secreted by the nectaries of
plants; the raw product of honey.
Nectar guide
- color marks on flowers believed to direct
insects to nectar sources.
Nectaries
- the organs of plants which secrete nectar,
located within the flower (floral nectaries) or
on other portions of the plant (extrafloral
nectaries).
Nosema
- a disease of the adult honey bee caused by the
protozoan Nosema apis.
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.
Observation hive
- a hive made largely of glass or clear plastic
to permit observation of bees at work.
Out-apiary
- an apiary situated away from the home of the
beekeeper.
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.
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.
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 cakes
-
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
stigrna of flowers.
Pollinator
- the agent that transfers pollen from an anther
to a stigma: bees, flies, beetles, etc.
Pollinizer
- the plant source of pollen used for
pollination.
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.
Propolis
- sap or resinous materials collected from trees
or plants by bees and used to strengthen the
comb, close up cracks, etc.; also called 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.
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.
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.
Rabbet
- a narrow piece of folded metal fastened to the
inside upper end of the hive body from which the
frames are suspended.
Rendering wax
- the process of melting combs and cappings and
removing refuse from the wax.
Resmethrin (SBP-1382)
- a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide used to
kill diseased honey bee colonies.
Robbing
- stealing of nectar, or honey, by bees from
other colonies.
Royal jelly
- a highly nutritious glandular secre tion of
young bees, used to feed the queen and young
brood.
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.
Sealed brood
-
see "Capped brood."
Self-pollination
- the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma
of the same plant.
Self-spacing frames
- frames constructed so that they are a bee
space apart when pushed together in a hive body.
Skep
- a beehive made of twisted straw without
movable frames.
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 refuse from melted comb and cappings after
the wax has been rendered or removed.
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 drone is stored.
Spur embedder
-
a device used for mechanically embedding wires
into foundation by employing hand pressure.
Sting
- the modified ovipositor of a worker honey bee
used as a weapon of offense.
Streptococcus pluton
- bacterium that causes European foulbrood.
Sucrose
- principal sugar found in nectar.
Super
- any hive body used for the storage of surplus
honey. Normally it is placed over or above the
brood chamber.
Supersedure
- a natural replacement of an established queen
by a daughter in the same hive. Shortly after
the young queen commences to lay eggs, the old
queen disappears.
Surplus honey
- honey removed from the hive which exceeds that
needed by bees for their own use.
Swarm
- the aggregate of worker bees, drones, and
usually the old queen that leaves the parent
colony to establish a new colony.
Swarming
- the natural method of propagation of the honey
bee colony.
Swarm cell
- queen cells usually found on the bottom of the
combs before swarming.
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.
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.
T-super
-
a comb honey super with T-shaped strips
supporting the sections to provide more space
for bee travel.
Uncapping knife
- a knife used to shave or re move the cappings
from combs of sealed honey prior to extraction;
usually heated by steam or electricity.
Uniting
- combining two or more colonies to form a
larger colony.
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.
Venom hypersensitivity
- a condition in which a person, if stung, is
likely to experience an aphylactic shock. A
person with this condition should carry an
emergency insect sting kit at all times during
warm weather.
Virgin queen
- an unmated queen.
Wax glands
- the eight glands that secrete bees wax;
located in pairs on the last four visible
ventral abdominal segments.
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.
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.
