Glossary

A pathogen is a microorganism (bacteria, virus, etc.) that can cause disease.

A pheromone is a chemical produced by specialized glands secreted outside of the body to elicit a behavioral or physiological response by another individual of the same species (in contrast to hormones that are secreted inside the body). Pheromones can be detected through smell or taste. Pheromone production differs from caste to caste and changes over the course of a bee’s lifetime.

Phylum is a rank in the classification of life, below kingdom and above order. Honey bees are members of the phylum Arthropoda.

Polarized light is made of electromagnetic waves that are all vibrating in the same direction. Although humans cannot see it without aid, the sun produces polarized light (even through clouds), which bees can see and use to navigate while foraging.

Pollen granules are the male gametes of a plant, analogous to sperm in animals. Pollen is an important food source for bees and provides them with protein, vitamins, minerals, and fats. Foragers generally collect pollen from a single kind of flower at a time, which promotes effective flower pollination, but overall the hive collects pollen from multiple kinds of flowers.

Pollen baskets (also known as corbiculae) are on the hind legs of honey bees. A forager uses the pollen combs on her legs to comb off pollen stuck to her body hairs and pack it into a colorful pellet in the pollen baskets. Pollen baskets can also be packed with resin to make propolis.

Pollen combs are structures on worker bees’ legs used to move pollen stuck to foragers’ body hairs and pack it into a colorful pellet in their pollen baskets.

A pollen substitute is a food product that is fed to honey bees to provide them with protein. Pollen substitutes contain no pollen and are commonly made using soy flour, skim milk powder, or dried brewer’s yeast.

Pollen supplements are a mixture of a pollen substitute and natural pollen. The added pollen makes the supplement more attractive and nutritious to the bees and they are more likely to consume it.

A pollen trap is a piece of hive equipment that is placed in front of the entrance or below the hive to collect pollen from incoming foragers. The pollen trap modifies the hive entrance and uses a screen that incoming foragers have to squeeze through, dislodging pollen from their pollen baskets.

Polyandry is the practice of females mating with multiple males. Honey bees are polyandrous, as queens mate with an average of 12 males. Polyandry helps promote genetic diversity in colonies.

Polyethism is the transitioning of workers through many different tasks as they age. Workers typically spend the first half of their lives as house bees performing various in-hive tasks, and the second half as foragers outside the hive. The shifts in duties are regulated by hormones and pheromones, and are affected by the age of the bee and the social environment of the colony.

A proboscis is the tubular mouthparts of the honey bee (formed when a bee brings together several components of her tongue to form an airtight tube) used to suck up nectar, honey, and water. The proboscis is also used for trophallaxis between bees. It is tucked up behind the chin when it is not needed.

Propolis is a sticky substance created and used by bees to caulk and seal holes around the perimeter of their nest and between combs, protect the nest from moisture, and even cover or wall off unwelcome objects. Propolis also provides the colony with antimicrobial protection. Propolis is made from tree resins that foragers carry home in their pollen baskets, mixed with wax. Some subspecies of honey bees tend to produce more propolis than others.

A propolis envelope is the name for a layer of propolis that sometimes lines the interior of the nest, protecting the colony.

A protein is an organic compound comprised of amino acids. Proteins perform a variety of functions in living organisms to help them develop and function. Proteins are acquired through the diet to provide essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body. Honey bees meet their protein nutritional needs through pollen.

The proventriculus is a valve at the base of the honey crop. When closed, it prevents the nectar that a bee has collected from moving into the ventriculus; when open, it allows food to pass through and be digested.

The pupa is the developmental phase of a honey bee following its stage as a larva and before it emerges as an adult. As a pupa, the bee is undergoing metamorphosis. Honey bee pupae develop within a cocoon in a cell capped with wax.

See pupa.