Beekeeping Glossary
Essential beekeeping terms — from frames to foragers.
DADANT HIVE
A hive design with a deep brood box larger than a standard Langstroth deep, allowing the colony more space in a single box and reducing the need for two-story brood chambers. It is more popular in Europe than in North America but is used by some hobbyists who prefer larger brood volumes.
DANCE LANGUAGE
The remarkable system of movement-based communication worker bees use to share precise information about the location of food sources, water, or potential nest sites. The waggle dance — a figure-eight pattern with a straight central run — conveys both distance and direction relative to the sun. The duration of the waggle run indicates how far the source is, while the angle of the run communicates its direction. It is one of the most sophisticated non-human communication systems known to science.
DEARTH
A period when little or no nectar or pollen is available in the surrounding landscape, forcing the colony to live off its stored reserves. Dearths can occur in midsummer when spring blooms are finished and fall flowers have not yet opened, or during drought when plants reduce or stop producing nectar. During a dearth, colonies can become defensive and may even attempt to rob honey from neighboring hives, so beekeepers need to monitor food stores closely.
DEFORMED WING VIRUS (DWV)
A highly destructive viral pathogen that causes bees to emerge from their cells with shriveled, crumpled wings that leave them unable to fly or forage. DWV is primarily transmitted and amplified by Varroa mites feeding on developing pupae. A colony with low Varroa levels may show little visible DWV damage, but as mite populations rise, the proportion of deformed bees increases rapidly. Managing Varroa is the most effective way to limit DWV's impact.
DEQUEENING
The deliberate removal of a colony's queen, typically done to initiate requeening, perform a brood break for mite management, or combine colonies. A colony should not be left queenless for an extended period without a plan for queen replacement.
DEXTROSE
One of the two primary simple sugars found in honey, alongside fructose. Dextrose, also called glucose, is less soluble in water than fructose, which is why it tends to crystallize first when honey solidifies. Honeys with a higher dextrose-to-fructose ratio — such as those from canola or clover — crystallize quickly, while honeys with more fructose, like acacia, remain liquid for much longer. The ratio varies depending on the nectar source the bees visited.
DIVIDING
The deliberate act of splitting one colony into two or more separate units, each with the resources needed to develop into a self-sustaining hive. Beekeepers divide colonies to prevent swarming, to increase their number of hives, or to manage an exceptionally strong colony. A successful divide requires distributing frames of brood, honey, pollen, and bees between the new units, and ensuring each has either a mated queen or the means to raise one.
DIVISION BOARD FEEDER
An in-hive feeder designed to fit inside the hive box in place of one or more frames, allowing beekeepers to provide sugar syrup directly within the hive where bees have easy, protected access. The feeder typically holds a significant volume of syrup and includes a ladder or textured surface so bees can reach the liquid without drowning. It is a practical choice for feeding during cool weather when bees are reluctant to visit external feeders.
DOUBLE SCREEN
A wooden board fitted with two layers of wire mesh separated by a small air gap, used to divide a hive into two separate colonies. The screen allows heat and scent to pass between sections without permitting direct bee contact, making it useful for combining colonies safely or housing a nucleus on top of a full colony.
DRAWN COMBS
Frames on which bees have already built out the full beeswax cell structure from foundation or bare starter strips. Drawn comb is one of the most valuable resources a beekeeper can own — bees can begin storing honey or raising brood immediately without spending time and energy building new wax, which accelerates colony growth significantly.
DRIFTING OF BEES
The tendency of returning foragers or newly emerged bees to enter the wrong hive, usually because hives are arranged in straight rows or look identical from the air. Drifting can spread diseases between colonies and skew population counts. Staggering hives, painting entrances different colors, or angling them in varying directions all help reduce the problem.
DRONE
The male honey bee, larger and more barrel-shaped than workers, with enormous compound eyes that nearly meet at the top of his head. Drones do not forage, sting, or perform hive duties — their sole purpose is to mate with virgin queens. They are produced in spring and summer, then expelled by workers as resources tighten in autumn.
DRONE COMB
Beeswax comb with cells noticeably larger than worker brood cells, built specifically to raise drones. You can spot it by its domed, bullet-shaped cappings, which stand higher than the flat cappings of worker brood. Some beekeepers deliberately add drone comb frames as part of a Varroa management strategy, since mites preferentially infest drone cells.
DRONE CONGREGATION AREA
A specific location, often consistent from year to year, where drones from many colonies gather in flight waiting for virgin queens to mate. These areas are typically in open spaces with distinct landmarks, and queens must fly into them to mate with multiple drones.
DRONE LAYER
A worker bee that has begun laying unfertilized eggs, producing only drones, due to the prolonged absence of a queen. Without a queen's pheromones to suppress her ovaries, a worker may start laying. A drone-laying worker colony is difficult to requeen and is one of the more challenging situations a hobbyist beekeeper will face.
DYSENTERY
A digestive condition in honey bees characterized by the inability to hold waste, resulting in brown streaking on the outside of the hive and on frames. It most commonly occurs in winter or early spring when bees cannot take cleansing flights due to cold weather. High-moisture honey, fermented stores, or prolonged confinement are typical contributing factors.