Beekeeping Glossary
This list of terms comes from Cornell University’s Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies.
There are currently 8 terms in this directory beginning with the letter N.
Nasonov gland
The Nasonov gland is an organ located near the end of a worker’s abdomen that produces and secretes Nasonov pheromone.
Nasonov pheromone
Nasonov pheromone is released by worker bees to orient and aggregate their nestmates. They use it to mark the nest entry to assist returning bees, aggregate during swarming, and mark a water source.
Nectar
Nectar is a carbohydrate-rich liquid produced by plants. Bees collect nectar from flowers and turn it into honey. There is great variation in the quality and quantity of nectar in different plants and in the same plants at different times.
nectar flow (also known as a honey flow)
A nectar flow is a regionally specific time period when particular plants are flowering and secreting a large quantity of nectar, e.g., basswood trees or goldenrod.
neonicotinoids
Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides, and are the most widely used insecticides in the world.
Nosema ceranae
Nosema ceranae is a fungal gut parasite that infects honey bees. It is a relatively recently introduced species to North America from Asia and it elicits different symptoms than the historical species, Nosema apis.
nuc (also known as a nucleus colony)
Nucs are small colonies contained in small hive bodies with only two to five frames. Nucs are created by pulling frames and bees from larger colonies.
