Beekeeping Vocabulary – “W” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, beeswax, honey bee vocabulary, honey bees

 

Processed Beeswax

Today’s beekeeping vocabulary word is, “wax.”

 

From Wikipedia (edited):

Beeswax (cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus Apis. The wax is formed into “scales” by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, who discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers collect and use it to form cells for honey-storage and larval and pupal protection within the beehive. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of esters of fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols.

Beeswax has long-standing applications in human food and flavoring. For example, it is used as a glazing agent, a sweetener, or as a light/heat source. It is edible, in the sense of having similar negligible toxicity to plant waxes, and is approved for food use in most countries and the European Union under the E number E901. However, the wax monoesters in beeswax are poorly hydrolysed in the guts of humans and other mammals, so they have insignificant nutritional value.^[1] Some birds, such as honeyguides, can digest beeswax. Beeswax is the main diet of Wax moth larvae.

Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 °C to 64 °C (144 °F to 147 °F). If beeswax is heated above 85 °C (185 °F) discoloration occurs. The flash point of beeswax is 204.4 °C (400 °F).^[9] Density at 15 °C is 958 kg/m³ to 970 kg/m³.

When natural beeswax is cold it is brittle, at room temperature it is tenacious, its fracture is dry and granular, it also softens at human body temperature.

Beeswax has many and varied uses. Primarily, it is used by the bees in making their honeycombs. Apart from this use by bees, the use of beeswax has become widespread and varied. Purified and bleached beeswax is used in the production of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The three main types of beeswax products are yellow, white, and beeswax absolute. Yellow beeswax is the crude product obtained from the honeycomb, white beeswax is bleached or filtered yellow beeswax,^[11] and beeswax absolute is yellow beeswax treated with alcohol.^[12] In food preparation, it is used as a coating for cheese; by sealing out the air, protection is given against spoilage (mold growth). Beeswax may also be used as a food additive E901, in small quantities acting as a glazing agent, which serves to prevent water loss, or used to provide surface protection for some fruits. Soft gelatin capsules and tablet coatings may also use E901. Beeswax is also a common ingredient of natural chewing gum.

Use of beeswax in skin care and cosmetics has been increasing. A German study found beeswax to be superior to similar barrier creams (usually mineral oil-based creams such as petroleum jelly), when used according to its protocol.^[13] Beeswax is used in lip balm, lip gloss, hand creams, salves, and moisturizers; and in cosmetics such as eye shadow, blush, and eye liner. Beeswax is also an important ingredient in moustache wax and hair pomades, which make hair look sleek and shiny.

Candle-making has long involved the use of beeswax, which is highly flammable, and this material traditionally was prescribed for the making of the Paschal candle or “Easter candle”. This may be because beeswax candles are often purported to be superior to other wax candles, because they are meant to burn brighter and longer, do not bend, and burn “cleaner”. ^[14]It is further recommended for the making of other candles used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.^[15] Beeswax is also the candle constituent of choice in the Orthodox Church.^[16]

Top five beeswax producers (2012, in tonnes)
India	23 000
Ethiopia	5 000
Argentina	4 700
Turkey	4 235
Republic of Korea	3 063
World total

Beeswax is an ingredient in surgical bone wax, which is used during surgery to control bleeding from bone surfaces; shoe polish and furniture polish can both use beeswax as a component, dissolved in turpentine or sometimes blended with linseed oil or tung oil; modeling waxes can also use beeswax as a component; pure beeswax can also be used as an organic surfboard wax.^[19] Beeswax blended with pine rosin, can serve as an adhesive to attach reed plates to the structure inside a squeezebox. It can also be used to make Cutler’s resin, an adhesive used to glue handles onto cutlery knives. It is used in Eastern Europe in egg decoration; it is used for writing, via resist dyeing, on batik eggs (as in pysanky) and for making beaded eggs. Beeswax is used by percussionists to make a surface on tambourines for thumb rolls. It can also be used as a metal injection moulding binder component along with other polymeric binder materials.^[20] Beeswax was formerly used in the manufacture of phonograph cylinders. It may still be used to seal formal legal or Royal decree and academic parchments such as placing an awarding stamp imprimatur of the university upon completion of post-graduate degrees.

Source and to read more: Wikipedia

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Beekeeping Vocabulary – “V” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary, honey bees, varroa, varroa destructor, varroa mites

 

Image of Varroa Mite supplied by Kika De La Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center Weslaco, Texas, USA {{PD-USGov-USDA-ARS}

 

Today’s beekeeping vocabulary word is, “Varroa.”

From Wikipedia:

Varroa is a genus of parasitic mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae.^[4] The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infested with Varroa mites is called varroosis (also, incorrectly, varroatosis).

Varroa mites are recognised as the biggest pest to honeybees worldwide due to their ability to transmit diseases such as deformed wing virus to larval or pupating bees, resulting in death or severe deformity of the pupae.

Varroa mites feed off the bodily fluids of adult, pupal, and larval honey bees, and may carry viruses that are particularly damaging to the bees (e.g., deformed wings, and IAPV), and accordingly they have been implicated in colony collapse disorder. Research has indicated that alone, neither Varroa mites nor deformed wing virus are particularly deadly, yet together they can pose an incredible risk to colonies.^[5][6]

Varroa mites were first discovered in Java about 1904,^[7] but are now present in all honey bee populations except Australia, Isle of Man and northern parts of Norway. They were discovered in the United States in 1987, in New Zealand in 2000,^[8] and in the United Kingdom in 1992 (Devon).

Bee-breeding efforts to develop resistance against Varroa are ongoing. The USDA has developed a line of bees which uses Varroa-sensitive hygiene to remove reproductive mites. This line is now being distributed to beekeepers to be used as part of their integrated pest management programs.

Source and to read more: Wikipedia

WEDNESDAY’S WORD: MELLIFLUOUS by BARLEY DARTS

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beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

Honeyed words or sounds; flowing sweetly.

via WEDNESDAY’S WORD: MELLIFLUOUS — BARLEY DARTS

Beekeeping Vocabulary – “P” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

By Jessie Eastland – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58944849

 

This week’s beekeeping vocabulary word is “Pollen.”

Pollen is collected by honey bees and other pollinators and used as a food source. In the process of these pollinators travels they transfer pollen from one flow to another thus satisfying the reproductive needs of plants. The result is the production of a fruit, nut, seed by the flower of the pollinated plant. It’s a symbiotic relationship whereby the bee gathers a source of food containing proteins, lipids, and vitamins and the plant gets successfully pollinated.

From Wikipedia:

The transfer of pollen grains to the female reproductive structure (pistil in angiosperms) is called pollination. This transfer can be mediated by the wind, in which case the plant is described as anemophilous (literally wind-loving). Anemophilous plants typically produce great quantities of very lightweight pollen grains, sometimes with air-sacs. Non-flowering seed plants (e.g. pine trees) are characteristically anemophilous. Anemophilous flowering plants generally have inconspicuous flowers. Entomophilous (literally insect-loving) plants produce pollen that is relatively heavy, sticky and protein-rich, for dispersal by insect pollinators attracted to their flowers. Many insects and some mites are specialized to feed on pollen, and are called palynivores.

In non-flowering seed plants, pollen germinates in the pollen chamber, located beneath the micropyle, underneath the integuments of the ovule. A pollen tube is produced, which grows into the nucellus to provide nutrients for the developing sperm cells. Sperm cells of Pinophyta and Gnetophyta are without flagella, and are carried by the pollen tube, while those of Cycadophyta and Ginkgophyta have many flagella.

When placed on the stigma of a flowering plant, under favorable circumstances, a pollen grain puts forth a pollen tube, which grows down the tissue of the style to the ovary, and makes its way along the placenta, guided by projections or hairs, to the micropyle of an ovule. The nucleus of the tube cell has meanwhile passed into the tube, as does also the generative nucleus, which divides (if it hasn’t already) to form two sperm cells. The sperm cells are carried to their destination in the tip of the pollen tube. Double-strand breaks in DNA that arise during pollen tube growth appear to be efficiently repaired in the generative cell that carries the male genomic information to be passed on to the next plant generation.^[12] However, the vegetative cell that is responsible for tube elongation appears to lack this DNA repair capability.^[12]

Beekeeping Vocabulary – “N” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

Tulip poplar, Credit: Dcrjsr, Duke University

Today’s beekeeping vocabulary word is “Nectar.”

As is the case with many beekeepers, I sell honey. Mostly at farmer’s markets, food co-ops, and local events and festivals.  I am always amazed at the how eager people are to learn more about honey bees and beekeeping. But one thing that very often opens their eyes in a big way is when I mention that every drop of honey in my jars is from the nectar of flowers. “What, from flowers?” I gently explain that flowers very often contain a sweet syrup in them and that’s one of the things the bees are gathering. Almost everyone remembers childhood days of sucking honeysuckle flowers so when I mention this a lightbulb comes on for them. I sure do get a kick out the occasional person that has just simply never thought about it though. They usually walk away saying, “Wow, I never through of that!”

From Wikipedia:

Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists, which in turn provide antiherbivore protection. Common nectar-consuming pollinators include mosquitoes, hoverflies, wasps, bees, butterflies and moths, hummingbirds, and bats. Nectar plays an important role in the foraging economics and overall evolution of nectar-eating species; for example, nectar and its properties are responsible for the differential evolution of the African honey bee, A. m. scutellata and the western honey bee.

Nectar is an ecologically important item, the sugar source for honey. It is also useful in agriculture and horticulture because the adult stages of some predatory insects feed on nectar. For example, the social wasp species Apoica flavissima relies on nectar as a primary food source. In turn, these wasps then hunt agricultural pest insects as food for their young. For example, thread-waisted wasps (genus Ammophila) are known for hunting caterpillars that are destructive to crops. Caterpillars however, do eventually become butterflies and moths, which are very important pollinators.^{[citation needed]}

Nectar secretion increases as the flower is visited by pollinators. After pollination, the nectar is frequently reabsorbed into the plant.^[1]

More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar

Beekeeping Vocabulary – “M” is for Mandible

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

Source: Honey bee portrait by Gilles San Martin

My wife told me yesterday that one of my bees bit her. I cringed and corrected her, “You mean it stung you?” “Yes,” she said. I went on to explain that her faux pas might lead to an uncomfortable situation should she mention amongst a group of beekeepers that a bee bit her. She understood. But the fact is, it’s possible a bee bit her or at least could bite her.

Today’s beekeeping vocabulary word is “Mandible.” Honey bees have jaws called mandibles that have lots of uses. Below is an excerpt from Rusty Berlew’s excellent blog called Honey Bee Suite. Rusty writes an excellent beekeeping blog and tackles very interesting articles. I highly recommend it.

Here’s is Rusty’s take on mandibles. (Link to full article below.)

Honey bee mandibles are all-in-one tools

Like one of those fold-up multipurpose pocket tools, honey bee mandibles are used for anything that requires cutting, grasping, or squeezing. For example:

•  Cutting itself out of the brood cell
•  Working wax scales into honeycomb
•  Carrying dead bees from inside the hive
•  Removing detritus from the hive, including wood chips, paper, or cardboard left by the beekeeper
•  Fighting
•  Carving pieces of bee bread from storage inside the hive
•  Delivering food to larvae
•  Grooming themselves and the queen
•  Cutting drones from their cells and helping them emerge
•  Tearing down unused queen cells
•  Moving wax from one area of the hive to another
•  Working propolis into hive cracks and crevices
•  Biting flower petals, if possible, to access pollen or nectar*
•  Chewing wood to enlarge an entrance*

Read the fill article on Honey Bee Mandibles here: Honey Bee Mandibles Have Many Uses by Honey Bee Suite

Beekeeping Vocabulary – “L” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee biology, honey bee vocabulary

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word is: Larva

Larva stage of a honey bee’s life

Three days after the queen lays the egg, it hatches into a larva (the plural is larvae). Healthy larvae are snowy white and resemble small grubs curled up in the cells (see Figure 2-12). Tiny at first, the larvae grow quickly, shedding their skin five times.

These helpless little creatures have voracious appetites, consuming 1,300 meals a day. The nurse bees first feed the larvae royal jelly, and later they’re weaned to a mixture of honey and pollen (sometimes referred to as bee bread). Within just five days, they are 1,570 times larger than their original size. At this time the worker bees seal the larvae in the cell with a porous capping of tan beeswax.

Source and read more on the lifecycle of the honey bee at: Tracking the Life Cycle of the Honey Bee By Howland Blackiston

Beekeeping Vocabulary “I” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, education, honey bee vocabulary

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word is: Imago

In biology, the imago is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it also is called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the final ecdysis of the immature instars.^[1]

In a member of the Ametabola or Hemimetabola, in which metamorphosis is “incomplete”, the final ecdysis follows the last immature or nymphal stage. In members of the Holometabola, in which there is a pupal stage, the final ecdysis follows emergence from the pupa, after which the metamorphosis is complete, although there is a prolonged period of maturation in some species.^[2]

The imago is the only stage during which the insect is sexually mature and, if it is a winged species, has functional wings. The imago often is referred to as the adult stage.^[1]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imago

Beekeeping Vocabulary – “G” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, education, honey bee vocabulary

Image courtesy of: Beekeeping: McConnell Airman’s ‘sweet’ hobby http://www.mcconnell.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/1163875/beekeeping-mcconnell-airmans-sweet-hobby/

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word is: Guard bee

Guard bees will stand at the front of the hive entrance, defending it from any invaders such as wasps. The number of guards varies from season to season and from species to species. Entrance size and daily traffic also play an integral role in the number of guard bees present.

Source: Wikipedia – Guard Bee

Beekeeping Vocabulary, “F” is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

Photo credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim – Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6699147

 

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word is: Flight

In Antoine Magnan‘s 1934 book Le vol des insectes, he wrote that he and André Sainte-Laguë had applied the equations of air resistance to insects and found that their flight could not be explained by fixed-wing calculations, but that “One shouldn’t be surprised that the results of the calculations don’t square with reality”.^[54] This has led to a common misconception that bees “violate aerodynamic theory”, but in fact it merely confirms that bees do not engage in fixed-wing flight, and that their flight is explained by other mechanics, such as those used by helicopters.^[55] In 1996 it was shown that vortices created by many insects’ wings helped to provide lift.^[56] High-speed cinematography^[57] and robotic mock-up of a bee wing^[58] showed that lift was generated by “the unconventional combination of short, choppy wing strokes, a rapid rotation of the wing as it flops over and reverses direction, and a very fast wing-beat frequency”. Wing-beat frequency normally increases as size decreases, but as the bee’s wing beat covers such a small arc, it flaps approximately 230 times per second, faster than a fruitfly (200 times per second) which is 80 times smaller.^[59]

Source Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee#Flight

Beekeeping Vocabulary – D is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word is: Drone (bee)

Source: Wikipedia

A drone is a male bee that is the product of an unfertilized egg. Unlike the female worker bee, drones do not have stingers and do not gather nectar and pollen. A drone’s primary role is to mate with a fertile queen.

A drone is characterized by eyes that are twice the size of those of worker bees and queens, and a body size greater than that of worker bees, though usually smaller than the queen bee. His abdomen is stouter than the abdomen of workers or queen. Although heavy bodied, the drone must be able to fly fast enough to accompany the queen in flight.

Mating occurs in flight, which accounts for the need of the drones for better vision, which is provided by their large eyes. Should a drone succeed in mating, he soon dies because the penis and associated abdominal tissues are ripped from the drone’s body after sexual intercourse.^[2]

More on drone bees here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drone_(bee)

Beekeeping Vocabulary – B is for…

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beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary

 

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word is: Bee

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the European honey bee, for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea and are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families.^[1][2] They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants.

Tons more to read at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee

Beekeeping Vocabulary – A is for…

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beekeeping, honey bee vocabulary

Having had great success with recipe Saturdays, I’ve decided to add Vocabulary Sundays. Short and sweet vocabulary building for beekeepers and those interested in learning more before taking the leap.

Today’s word(s) are:  Apis mellifera – def. The western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honey bee. The genus name Apis is Latin for bee, and mellifera means honey-bearing. Thus: honey-bearing bee.

There is a huge body of information on Apis mellifera. I’ve been told more has been written in the honey bee than any other animal. After becoming interested in honey bees, I spend my first year or so reading online books from the 1800s and early 1900s. Most of it was excellent even though science has added and corrected some earlier misconceptions. If you’re considering beekeeping or just want the quick notes version so you can hold your own over a dinner party here is the Wikipedia entry:  Western Honey Bee.