Glossary

Apiary: a collection of hives cared for by a beekeeper. Also known as a bee yard.

Apiculture: the science of the-beekeeper.

Apitherapy: the medicinal use of honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom.

Bee dance: a series of movements made by bees to let other bees know the direction and distance of food or a new home.

Bee space: a specific distance between parts of a hive that allow bees to move naturally within a hive.

Bee veil: special netting worn by beekeepers to protect their face from bee stings.

Beehive: a home for bees.

Beekeeper: a person who takes care of bees.

Beeswax: a thick substance produced by bees to make their comb cells.

Brood: a group of immature bees before they have emerged from their cells.

Colony: a group of many bees who live and work together in a hive.

Comb: a grouping of 6-sided cells built from beeswax that is used to store food and baby bees.

Drone: a male bee. His only job is to mate with the queen.

Extractor: device used for removing honey from hive frames.

Honey: sweet food made by bees from nectar.

Honeybee: an insect who lives in a colony and collects nectar and pollen to produce honey.

Larva: the second stage in the growth of a new bee.

Metamorphosis: the transformation process from a pupa to an insect.

Nectar: a liquid found in flowers and collected by bees and made into honey.

Pheromone: a chemical scent released by insects and other animals to communicate messages to other of their species.

Pollen: a powder found on flowers and used in plant reproduction. Bees use pollen as a food source.

Pollination: the transfer of pollen (from the male part) of one flower to the stigma (female part) of another flower. Pollination is needed for the growth of many fruits.

Propolis: a sticky substance collected by bees from trees and other plants which they use to seal cracks in the hive. Also known as bee glue.

Pupa: the third and final stage of a new bee's development before it becomes a mature bee.

Queen: the only female in the colony who lays eggs to make baby bees.

Royal jelly: a very nutritious substance produced by the glands of worker bees and fed to the brood and queen.

Smoker: a tool which produces smoke and calms the bees to make it easier and safer for the beekeeper to work with the colony.

Stinger: a part of the bee that is used to iinject venom (poison) into its enemy. A worker bee can only sting once and then she dies.

Swarm: a large group of bees and a queen that escape their hive in search for a new home.

Venom: a poisonous liquid secreted by bees defending their colony.

Worker bee: a female bee that has many jobs in the hive.