Honey Glossary

Learn The Meaning of Words

Beeswax: the waxy substance produced by worker bees and used to build combs.

Blended: Most commercially available honey is blended, meaning that it is a mixture of two or more honeys differing in floral source, colour, flavour, density or geographic origin.

Drones: Male bees, whose main function in the colony is to fertilize the queen.

Foundation: Thin sheets of beeswax imprinted with a pattern of honey comb. The beekeeper installs these sheets into wooden frames as "starters" for the bees in making uniform combs.

Frames: The removable wooden structures which are placed in the hive. The bees build their comb within these frames.

Hive Bodies: The first one or two wooden boxes of the colony. The hive bodies contain the brood nest of the colony.

Larva: The grub-like, immature form of the bee, after it has developed from the egg and before it has gone into the pupa stage.

Monofloral: Monofloral honey is made primarily from the nectar of one type of flower.

Nectar: Sweet fluid produced by flowers is 60% water and 40% solids. This is collected by the bees and converted into honey at 17 -18% moisture content.

Pollen: Very small dust-like grain produced by flowers. These are the male germ cells of the plant.

Polyfloral: Polyfloral honey, also known as wildflower honey, is derived from the nectar of many types of flowers.

Propolis: Sticky, brownish gum gathered by bees from trees and buds and used to seal cracks and drafts in the hive. Also called "bee-glue".

Pupa: The immature form of the bee (following the larval stage) while changing into the adult form.

Queen: A completely developed female bee who lays eggs and serves as the central focus of the colony. There is only one queen in a colony of bees. A queen's productive life span is 2-3 years.

Royal Jelly: The milky white secretion of young nurse bees. It is used to feed the queen throughout her life, and is given to worker and drone larvae only during their early larval lives.

Supercedure: When a colony with an old or failing queen rears a daughter to replace her.

Workers: Completely developed female bees that have developed ovaries and do not normally lay eggs. They gather pollen and nectar and convert the nectar to honey. A worker's life expectancy is only several weeks during the active summer months. However, they can live for many months during the relatively inactive winter period.