Beekeeping Glossary
This list of terms comes from Cornell University’s Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies.
There are currently 22 terms in this directory beginning with the letter C.
candy board
A candy board is a piece of hive equipment used to supplement carbohydrates to honey bee colonies during the winter. They resemble an inner cover filled with a solid candy made of sugar and water.
carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are the sugars in food that are a source of energy for organisms. Honey bees acquire their carbohydrates from nectar, honey, or sugar syrups.
caste
A caste is one form within a species that may differ from other forms in terms of anatomy, physiology, and reproduction. The three honey bee castes are queens, workers, and drones.
cell builder
A cell builder is a colony used to rear queens. Cell builders can be either ‘cell starters’ or ‘cell finishers’. A cell builder consists of a strong population with many nurse bees, pollen, honey or sugar syrup, and can be queenright or queenless.
cell finisher
A cell finisher is the cell building colony used to finish queen cells when rearing queens. Nurses in the finisher colony continue to provision the queen cells with royal jelly and complete the construction of the queen cell.
cell starter
A cell starter is the cell building colony used to start queen cells when rearing queens. Nurses in the starter colony provision the queen cells with ample royal jelly and begin building out the cell with wax.
chalkbrood
Chalkbrood is an infection in honey bee brood caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis. It can affect both sealed and unsealed brood. Affected larvae often take the appearance of small white pieces of chalk and, in this stage, are referred to as ‘chalkbrood mummies’.
checkerboarding
Checkerboarding is the practice of alternating frames of drawn comb with frames that are already filled in the broodnest. This provides the colony more space to fill with brood and resources and, as a result, can help prevent swarming.
chromosome
Chromosomes are the structures containing an organism’s genetic material in the form of DNA.
class
Class is a rank in the classification of life, below phylum and above order. Honey bees are members of the class Insecta (insects).
cleansing flights
A cleansing flight is the delicate name given to the act of leaving the hive to defecate. Bees can delay defecation for months during winter, but will leave the hive on a warm day to void their waste. Fecal staining may be evident around or on the outside of hives in winter and early spring.
cluster (also winter cluster)
Clustering is a thermoregulatory behavior where bees congregate on the comb to keep warm when environmental temperatures are below 64°F. Colony functions such as foraging and water collection cease when bees are clustering.
cocoon
A cocoon is a silky pupal casing spun by insect larvae to protect them during their pupal stage.
Colony
The colony is the family community of honey bees that share a nest. There is usually a queen present, many workers, and fewer drones.
colony assessment
A detailed colony inspection that quantifies the amount of brood, adults, honey, pollen, and comb in an effort to assess the growth and productivity of the colony.
Complementary Sex Determination gene
The Complementary Sex Determination gene is responsible for sex determination in honey bees.
compound eye
The two large eyes found on either side of a bee’s head. Each compound eye consists of thousands of individual independent facets with lenses that collectively form a coherent image.
cooperative brood care
Cooperative brood care is the practice of sharing the work of raising young that is not one’s own. In the case of honey bees, the queen lays the eggs, but the larvae, pupae, and young adults are cooperatively cared for by their older sisters, nurse bees. Cooperative brood care is one of the three hallmarks of eusociality.
