Beekeeping Glossary
Decipher the buzzwords of the hive.
Absconding
When an entire colony leaves the hive due to starvation, pests, or poor conditions.
Afterswarm
Secondary swarms that leave a hive after the primary swarm, usually accompanied by virgin queens.
American Foulbrood (AFB)
A highly contagious and destructive bacterial disease affecting honey bee brood.
Apiary
A place where beehives are kept; also known as a bee yard.
Apiculture
The science and art of raising honey bees.
Ball
A cluster of bees surrounding a queen, often to kill her (balling) or protect her.
Bearding
Bees clustering on the outside of the hive on hot days to cool the interior.
Bee Bread
Fermented pollen stored in honeycomb cells; the main protein source for the colony.
Bee Space
A gap of 1/4 to 3/8 inch that bees leave unblocked. Smaller gaps are propolized; larger ones are filled with comb.
Brood
The immature bees (egg, larva, pupa) developing inside the honeycomb cells.
Burr Comb
Protruding or irregular comb built by bees in violation of bee space, often connecting frames.
Capped Brood
Pupae whose cells have been sealed with a porous wax cover by worker bees.
Castes
The three types of bees in a colony: Queen (reproductive female), Worker (sterile female), and Drone (male).
Cluster
A mass of bees clinging together, usually to maintain heat in winter.
Colony
The family unit of bees inside the hive.
Drawn Comb
Wax foundation where the cells have been built out by bees.
Drifting
When bees mistakenly enter the wrong hive, often due to wind or identical hive placement.
Drone
A male honey bee whose only role is to mate with a queen.
Extraction
The process of removing honey from the comb, usually by centrifugal force.
Festooning
Bees hanging in chains to secrete wax and build comb.
Foundation
A sheet of wax or plastic with cell bases embossed on it, used to guide bees in building straight comb.
Frame
A rectangular wooden or plastic structure that holds the foundation and comb.
Hive Tool
A flat metal tool used to pry apart hive components and scrape wax.
Honey Flow
A period when nectar-yielding plants are abundant and bees store surplus honey.
Langstroth Hive
The most common hive design, featuring vertically stackable boxes and movable frames.
Nectar
A sugary liquid secreted by flowers, which bees dehydrate to make honey.
Nuc (Nucleus Colony)
A small starter colony (usually 5 frames) containing a queen, bees, brood, and food.
Package
A wire box containing 3 lbs of bees and a caged queen, used to start a new hive.
Pheromone
Chemical signals released by bees to communicate alarm, queen presence, or forage location.
Piping
A sound made by virgin queens during swarming or queen battles.
Propolis
A resinous glue collected from trees, used by bees to seal cracks and sanitize the hive.
Queen Excluder
A grid screen that confines the queen to the brood nest while allowing workers to pass to honey supers.
Robbing
When bees from one hive steal honey from another, weak hive.
Royal Jelly
A nutrient-rich secretion fed to larvae and the queen.
Skep
An old-fashioned straw basket hive, now illegal in many places because it lacks movable frames.
Smoker
A device that puffs smoke to calm bees during inspections.
Super
A box placed above the brood chamber specifically for storing surplus honey.
Supersedure
When a colony replaces an old or failing queen with a new one naturally.
Swarm
The natural reproductive division of a colony, where the queen and half the bees leave to find a new home.
Varroa Destructor
A parasitic mite that feeds on bees and transmits viruses; the #1 threat to honey bees.
Winter Cluster
The tight ball bees form in cold weather to generate heat and protect the queen.
Worker
A female bee that performs all hive duties (foraging, nursing, guarding) but does not reproduce.
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