Beekeeping Glossary

The four most common races of Apis are mellifera, cerana, dorsata and florea; other newly discovered races are currently under investigation.

A centrifugal force machine to throw out honey but leave the combs intact; the frames are placed like spokes of a wheel, top bars towards the wall, to take advantage of the upward slope of the cells.

See Natural Honey.

Measures moisture of honey. Optical or digital models available.

To introduce a new queen to a queenless hive.

The act of exchanging places of different hive bodies of the same colony; usually for the purpose of nest expansion, the super full of brood and the queen is placed below an empty super to allow the queen extra laying space.

The act of bees stealing honey/nectar from the other colonies; also applied to bees cleaning out wet supers or cappings left uncovered by beekeepers.

A diagnostic test for American foulbrood in which the decayed larvae form an elastic rope when drawn out with a toothpick.

Sections of comb honey in plastic round rings instead of square wooden boxes.

A highly nutritious, milky white glandular secretion of young (nurse) bees; used to feed the queen and young larvae.