Glossary

Family is a rank in the classification of life, below order and above genus. Honey bees are members of the family Apidae.

The fat body is a collection of tissues distributed throughout an insect’s body. It mostly surrounds the gut and reproductive organs, but is also distributed throughout the thorax and head. Its main function is to store fat and glycogen to release energy for use in times of food shortage. It also produces vitellogenin. Winter bees have a larger fat body and more numerous fat body cells than summer bees.

Fermented honey is honey that has been fermented by yeast. It is often bubbly or foamy in appearance and has a yeasty aroma. Fermentation most likely occurs naturally when the moisture content in honey exceeds 18%. Under these conditions, yeast populations can rise.

Festooning is when inactive bees hang between combs, linking themselves together by their legs. It is associated with wax construction.

See foragers.

Fondant is a thick frosting-textured food product that is used to supplement carbohydrates to honey bee colonies during the winter. It is made of sugar, water, and corn syrup.

Foraging is the search for and collection of resources (nectar, pollen, water, and resin) for the colony.

Foragers (also known as field bees) are worker bees that take foraging trips for nectar, pollen, water, or resin. Typically, worker bees begin foraging halfway through their lives, and remain foragers until they die. Foragers specialize in collecting one kind of resource, but they can be flexible as needed. See also house bees and nurse bees.