Beekeeping Glossary
Package Bees
A quantity of adult bees (2 to 5 pounds), with or without a queen, contained in a screened shipping cage with a food source.
Paenibacillus Larvae
The bacterium that causes American foulbrood.
PDB (Paradichlorobenzene)
Crystals used to fumigate stored combs against wax moth.
Pheromones
Chemical substances secreted from glands and used as a means of communication. Honey bees secrete many different pheromones.
Play Flight
Short flight taken in front of or near the hive to acquaint young bees with their immediate surroundings.
Pollen
The male reproductive cell bodies produced by anthers of flowers. It is collected and used by honey bees as their source of protein.
Pollen Basket
A flattened depression surrounded by curved hairs, located on the outer surface of a bee's hind legs and adapted for carrying pollen to the hive.
Pollen Substitute
Any material such as soybean flour, powdered skim milk, brewer's yeast, or a mixture of these used in place of pollen as a source of protein to stimulate brood rearing. Typically feed to a hive in early spring to encourage colony expansion.
Pollen Supplement
A mixture of pollen and pollen substitutes used to stimulate brood rearing typically in early spring to encourage colony expansion.
Pollen Trap
A device for removing pollen loads from the pollen baskets of incoming bees.
Pollination
The transfer of pollen from the anthers to the stigrna of flowers.
Primary Swarm
The first swarm to leave the parent colony, usually with the old queen (see secondary swarm).
Propolis
Sap or resinous materials collected from trees or plants by bees and used to strengthen the comb and to seal cracks; also called bee glue.
Pupa
The third stage in the development of the honey bee, during which it changes (pupates) from a larva to an adult bee.