Beekeeping Glossary
Essential beekeeping terms — from frames to foragers.
FAT BODIES
Nutrient-storage tissue in the honey bee abdomen that functions similarly to a liver, storing proteins, lipids, and glycogen. Fat bodies are critical for winter survival, as well as for detoxifying pesticides and supporting immune function, and are built up when bees consume pollen in late summer and fall.
FERMENTATION
A process in which wild yeasts consume the natural sugars in honey when moisture content rises too high, typically above 18.6 percent. Fermented honey produces an off smell, a sour or alcoholic taste, and visible bubbling. Harvesting honey at the right moisture level and storing it properly in sealed containers prevents fermentation from spoiling your harvest.
FERTILE QUEEN
A queen bee who has successfully mated with multiple drones and stores viable sperm in her spermatheca, allowing her to lay fertilized eggs that become female workers or new queens. A fertile, laying queen is the cornerstone of a healthy colony, and her presence is usually confirmed by finding worker brood in a normal, consistent laying pattern.
FIELD BEES
Older worker bees, typically three weeks or more in age, whose responsibilities have shifted from inside the hive to foraging outside it. Field bees collect nectar, pollen, water, and propolis, sometimes traveling more than two miles from the hive. Their work is physically demanding, and most live only a few weeks once they begin foraging in earnest.
FOLLOWER BOARD
A solid, removable board used in top-bar hives to temporarily reduce the internal cavity available to the bees. It is positioned behind the last comb bar and moved progressively outward as the colony grows. Follower boards help a new or small colony maintain optimal temperature in their brood nest without overextending themselves into empty space.
FORAGER
An older worker bee, typically 21 days or more of age, that leaves the hive to collect nectar, pollen, water, and propolis. Foragers make up roughly one-third of a healthy colony's population and are the bees most commonly observed on flowers.
FOUNDATION
A thin sheet of beeswax or plastic embossed with a hexagonal cell pattern that is placed inside frames to guide bees in building straight, uniform comb. Foundation comes in worker-cell and drone-cell sizes and in wired or unwired varieties.
FRAME
A rectangular wooden or plastic structure that holds beeswax foundation or drawn comb inside a hive box. Frames are the basic working unit of a managed Langstroth hive — they are movable, inspectable, and interchangeable between compatible equipment. Standard frame sizes include deep, medium, and shallow, and choosing one size consistently throughout your operation makes management considerably simpler.
FRUCTOSE
One of the two primary simple sugars found in honey, alongside glucose. Fructose is sweeter than glucose and remains liquid longer, which is why high-fructose honeys like acacia and tupelo resist granulation. Bees convert flower nectar, primarily sucrose, into fructose and glucose through enzymatic action during the honey-ripening process inside the hive.
FUME BOARD
A flat board, usually covered with an absorbent material, used to drive bees down and away from honey supers during harvest. A small amount of bee-repellent chemical is applied to the board, which is then placed on top of the super in place of the lid. Within minutes, most bees move downward, leaving frames relatively clear for removal.
FUMIGILIN-B
An antibiotic medication historically used to treat Nosema disease in honey bee colonies, caused by the microsporidian parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. It was administered dissolved in sugar syrup. Fumigilin-B is no longer commercially available in the United States, and beekeepers managing Nosema must now focus on cultural practices and maintaining strong, well-nourished colonies.