Beekeeping Glossary

The paired jaw-like mouthparts of the honey bee used for manipulating wax, chewing through comb, shaping propolis, removing debris, and grooming. Queen mandibles are larger and more curved than worker mandibles and are used to tear open rival queen cells.

A paint pen used to place a small colored dot on the thorax of a queen bee to make her easier to spot during inspections. An internationally recognized color-coding system assigns a specific color to each year on a five-year rotation, allowing beekeepers to track queen age at a glance.

A young virgin queen's aerial journey to mate with drones, typically occurring within the first one to two weeks of her life. She may make several flights over multiple days, mating with a dozen or more drones high in the air at designated drone congregation areas. The sperm she collects is stored in her spermatheca and used to fertilize eggs for the rest of her life — which can span several years.

An ancient fermented beverage made from honey, water, and yeast. One of humanity's oldest alcoholic drinks, mead predates wine and beer in many cultures. Its flavor ranges from delicate and floral to rich and complex depending on the honey used, fermentation approach, and any added fruits, spices, or herbs. Many hobbyist beekeepers eventually try their hand at mead-making as a natural extension of keeping bees and harvesting honey.

The practice of moving colonies — sometimes hundreds or thousands of them — to different geographic regions to follow seasonal nectar flows or provide pollination services for agricultural crops. Commercial beekeepers transport hives by truck across long distances throughout the year. It is the backbone of large-scale crop pollination in the United States. Most hobbyist beekeepers keep stationary hives, but understanding migration helps explain the scale of modern apiculture.

A diagnostic technique for counting Varroa mite levels in a colony by collecting approximately 300 bees in a jar with rubbing alcohol or soapy water, agitating to dislodge mites, and counting the mites that fall to the bottom. Results are expressed as mites per 100 bees and used to determine whether treatment is needed.