Beekeeping/Glossary

A

Abscond

The action of bees leaving the hive suddenly with few or no remainders. This should not be confused with swarming; it is often due to problems such as poor ventilation, high temperatures, mite problems, pests or other intolerable problems.

Acarine

A label for infestation of bees by tracheal mites.

AFB

see American Foul Brood

American Foul Brood

A highly contagious disease, caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Paenibacillus larvae), affecting bee brood. It has a long life span. See American Foul Brood module.

Apiary

The area or location as to where bees and hives are kept, some times referred to as a beeyard.

Apiculture

The science and study and possibly art of keeping bees.

Apiphobia

The acute fear of bees or anything related to bees. See Phobias module

Apis mellifera

The scientific name of the European honey bee, e.g. M.m.ligustica, M.m. mellifera, M.m.carnica.

Apistan

A miticide used to control Varroa mites.

Apitherapy

A division of therapy that uses bees and bee products for therapeutic and medical purposes.

B

Beebread

Pollen that was collected by bees and then mixed with various solutions including honey which is stored within a cell of the comb. This is a high protein feed for both the developing larva and bees.

Bee Glue

See Propolis

Beehaver

Someone who has bees, but is not at the level of manipulation akin to a beekeeper.

Beekeeper

Someone who keeps bees

Beeyard

The area or location as to where bees and hives are kept, more properly called an apiary.

Bee space

The critical space that must be kept to prevent bees from filling the space with propolis or burr comb. The bee space is commonly thought of as a void greater than ¹/₄in and smaller than ³/₈in. The bee space may vary depending on the size of the specific bee or race.

Beehive

A container used by a beekeeper for the purpose of keeping a colony of bees out of the weather. It is commonly a form of box or crate, but may be a skep, hollowed log, clay pot, etc. Typically but not necessarily, the combs are removable (frames, top bars) to assist management. Unmanaged bees live in a nest.

Beeswax

A substance that is secreted by glands present on the worker bee. This is the primary building material used by bees, and the main structure of comb.

Bottom Board

A segment of man made hive that creates the floor of the hive. Bottom Board module

Brace Comb

The sections of seemingly random comb that connect hive parts together. Brace Comb is a form of Burr Comb.

Burr Comb

Any section of comb that is not a part of the main comb piece within the frame or hanging from the top bar.

Brood

A general term to refer to immature bees, includes egg, larva and pupae. See brood module.

Brood Chamber

Section of the hive where brood is being raised and where the queen would normally be laying eggs.

Brood Food

A highly nutritious glandular secretion from the worker bee that is used to feed both brood and the queen

Build Up

The natural seasonal increase of bee population within a colony that coincides with the start of the main nectar flow

C

Capped Brood

Cells on the comb containing bee larvae that is fully enclosed by function of a wax capping.

Capping

1 A thin layer of wax that covers cells containing honey.
2 The thin air permeable layer of wax that covers the cell of bee brood.

Caste

A name for the existence of different classifications of bees of a specific family. Includes Queen, Drone and Worker.

Chalk Brood

A fungal infection of the brood. See chalk brood module.

Cell

A single hexagonal prismatic chamber that makes up comb. Cells are used to store honey, pollen, nectar and developing brood.

Cleansing Flight

The flight made by a bee to cleanse it’s digestive track after a long period of confinement.

Cluster

1 A mass of bees, often referring to a swarm or collection.
2 The huddling action taken by the bees within a colony during cold weather

Colony

A collection or family of bees living within a single social unit.

Comb

A double sided configuration of hexagonal cells made of beeswax or artificial plastic. Used by the bees to store food and raise brood.

Crush and Strain

Simple technique to extract honey in which combs are gathered in a straining device (kitchen strainer, bucket with holes in the bottom, etc.) which allows honey to drain into a container below.

D

Dance Language

A basis or rudimentary communication used by bees to provide location information of food sources, water sources or possible new home sites. See Dance Language module

Drawn Comb

Combs which contain completed cells.

Drifting

The process in which bees join a separate hive other than their own, often due to loss of direction or hive placed too close together.

Drone

A male bee. See Drone module

E

EFB

See European Foul Brood

Entrance Reducer

A device used to limit in and out traffic to a hive. See Entrance Reducer module

European Foul Brood

A highly contagious bacterial disease, caused by Melissocccus plutonius, which affects the bee brood. See European Foul Brood module.

Extraction

Removal of honey from comb. Typically refers to use of an Extractor but also includes non-mechanical methods such as crush and strain.

Extractor

A centrifugal device in which frames can be drained of honey. See Honey Extractor module

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F

Feral Bees

Term is used to describe honeybees that are not managed by a beekeeper.

Feral Hive

Term used to describe a situated colony of feral bees not managed by a beekeeper aka Nest.

Food Chamber

The segment of the hive that bees used to store pollen, nectar and honey.

Foulbrood

Generic term to describe bacterial disease that effect only brood and no adult bees.

Foundation

A thin sheet of wax or plastic that is embossed to be used as a guide for comb creation by the bees. See Foundation module

Frame

A rectangular segment made of four slats of wood that was made to contain comb. See Frame module

Fumadil B

see Fumagillin.

Fumagillin

An antimicrobial compound used to control Nosema which is sold under the trade name of Fumadil B.

G

Guard Bee

A bee which remains at the entrance of a hive protecting it from invaders.

Guarding

The action of a bee which detects invaders and examines entering bees.

H

Hive

Home site for an individual colony of managed bees

Hive Body

A segment of the hive that creates a chamber for the building of comb and storage of collected resources. See Hive Body module

Hive Tool

A bladed pry bar used by the beekeeper to maintain and manage a hive. See Hive Tool module

Honey Flow

A period of time when an abundance of nectar is available to be collected and converted into honey.

Honey Comb

Comb that has been nearly or completely filled with honey.

I

Inner Cover

A narrow piece of wood that fits over the upper most hive body and bellow an external cover. See Inner Cover module

K

KTBH

A Kenya Top Bar Hive has sloping sides.

L

Langstroth

Modern hive management originated in the writings of Langstroth who recognized the significance of bee space and box sizes of standardized dimensions. Efforts to improve on the original have led to size variations between and within countries but the principles of beespace remain the same.

Larva

The second stage of development in the life cycle of the bee.

Laying Worker

An unfertilized, non queen female bee that is capable of laying drone eggs. This is often the result of a hive remaining queenless for a period of time.

M

Malnourished Hive

A colony of bees that lacking the proper nutritional requirements to produce brood.

Marked Queen

A queen bee that has been marked with a spot of paint or had a disk adhered to her abdomen.

Miticide

A chemical or biological agent which is applied to a colony to control parasitic mites.

N

Nectar

A food source high in carbohydrates, which occurs naturally in the nectarines of a flower.

Nectarflow

The mass gathering of nectar from flowers by bees.

Nest

An unmanaged colony of bees. Often found in the hollow of a tree, wall partition, attic, etc. as the preferred space is dark with a small entrance which is easy to protect. On occasion, European bees will build a nest in a thick shrub or tree.

Nosema

An illness that effects the digestive track in bees. See Nosema module

Nuc

See Nucleus Hive

Nucleus Hive

A small colony of bees housed within a smaller hive container.

Nuptial Flight

The mating flight taken by a queen to mate with a variety of drones.

Nurse Bee

Young hive bound bee that feeds and cares for larva.

P

Pheromone

A chemical scent produced to establish a basic form of communication or to stimulate a response. See Pheromones module

Pollen

The powdery substance produced by the male segment of a flower. See pollen module.

Propolis

A sticky resinous material that bees collect from plants and use to strengthen hive comb and fill cracks within the hive. Often referred to as bee glue. See Propolis module

Pupa

The final stage in a brood bee’s metamorphosis.

Q

Queen

The fertile female bee that one mated should be capable of producing male and female offspring. See Queen module

Queen Excluder

A device used to prevent the larger queen bee from passing. See Queen Excluder module

Queen Right

A term used to describe a hive or colony of bees that has a producing queen.

Queen Substance

The pheromone produced by the queen bee that alerts a colony to the fact that it is Queen Right.

R

Royal Jelly

A substance produced by worker bees to feed to youngest brood and to the queen brood throughout its immature life.

S

Scout Bee

A bee which is responsible for locating a new home site location for a swarm of bees.

Stinger

The defense mechanism of a bee that is capable of releasing venom in to its victim.

Stray honeybees

Honeybees that are not under the control of a beekeeper aka Feral.

Supercedeure

The natural process of a colony of bees replacing its queen with a new queen.

Supering

The act and process of addend hive bodies to a hive in an effort to collect excess harvestable honey.

Swarm

A collection of bees that is currently without a home site and looking for a new one.

T

TBH

The Top Bar Hive is a method to manage bees with removable combs which rely on top bars rather than frames for the combs. There is usually no allowance for bee space so the bars represent a continuous cover. There are no standard dimensions as there are for Langstroth hives. See also KTBH, TTBH

Terramycin

An antibiotic used for the treatment of bacterial disease.

TTBH

A Tanzanian Top Bar Hive has rectangular sides.

W

Winter Cluster

A tightly packed cluster of bees that forms to maintain warmth during the colder winter months.

Worker

An unfertilizable female bee that constitutes as the majority of a colony’s population. The worker has the responsibility of all hive and foraging tasks. See Worker module