UPMSP Class 12 Beekeeping - Code 215 flashcards

38 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Apis dorsata

The rock bee of India; builds a single large comb on cliffs or buildings, is migratory and highly defensive, and is not managed in movable-frame hives.

Apis cerana indica

The native Indian hive bee; it is manageable in movable-frame boxes, prone to absconding when disturbed or short of forage, and resistant to several local pests.

Apis florea

The dwarf honey bee; builds a small single comb on bushes, is the smallest Indian species, and produces little surplus honey for harvest.

Apis mellifera

The European honey bee introduced to India; it gives high honey yields under good management but needs careful feeding, disease control and swarm prevention.

Corbicula

The pollen basket on the hind leg of worker honey bees; it holds moistened pollen pellets collected from flowers and carried back to the hive.

Hamuli

Small hooklets on the front margin of the hindwing that couple it to the forewing, so the two wings beat together as a single unit in flight.

Honey stomach

The crop, a distensible part of the foregut that stores nectar during foraging; it is not the digestive stomach and does not absorb nutrients.

Nasonov gland

A scent gland at the tip of the worker's abdomen; it releases pheromone used to guide nestmates to the hive entrance, water or a new home site.

Arrhenotoky

The mode of sex determination in honey bees in which unfertilised eggs develop into haploid drones and fertilised eggs develop into diploid females.

Queen pheromone

A blend including 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid produced by the queen; it suppresses worker ovary development, attracts workers and maintains colony cohesion.

Temporal polyethism

The age-based division of labour in a colony: young workers clean and nurse brood, middle-aged workers build comb and store food, and older workers forage.

Swarming

Colony reproduction in which the old queen leaves with about half the workers to found a new nest, while the parent colony raises new queens.

Waggle dance

A communication dance that encodes the direction of food as an angle to vertical and the distance as duration of the waggle run.

Worker development period

About 21 days from egg to adult: three days as an egg, about six as a larva and about twelve as a capped pupa.

Nectar plant

A plant that secretes nectar from flowers or extrafloral nectaries, providing the sugar source that bees convert into honey.

Migratory beekeeping

Moving colonies to follow flowering seasons, such as mustard in winter and hill flora in summer, to maintain nectar flow and honey production.

Bee pollination service

The use of managed honey bee colonies to transfer pollen between flowers, improving fruit set and yield in crops such as mustard, sunflower and litchi.

Honeydew honey

Honey made from sugary secretions of plant-sucking insects such as aphids rather than from floral nectar; it is darker and has a stronger flavour.

Bee space

A gap of about 6-9 mm between combs and hive parts that bees leave open; maintaining it prevents burr comb and keeps frames movable.

Queen excluder

A screen with gaps large enough for workers but too small for the queen, placed between the brood chamber and supers to keep brood out of honey combs.

Smoker

A metal can with bellows that burns dry fuel to produce cool smoke; smoke masks alarm pheromone and calms bees during inspection.

Hive tool

A flat metal lever used to pry apart hive bodies, loosen frames and scrape propolis; it is the basic handling tool for every inspection.

Foundation

A thin sheet of beeswax or plastic embossed with cell bases, placed in frames to guide workers to build straight, uniform combs.

Apiary site

A location with abundant nectar and pollen within 1-2 km, clean water, partial shade, wind protection, dry ground and safe vehicle access for moving hives.

Nucleus colony

A small colony with a laying queen, a few frames of brood and workers, used to start new hives or to replace failed queens.

Robbing

The theft of honey stores by bees from other colonies, often triggered by exposed honey or weak colonies; reduced entrances and careful feeding prevent it.

Absconding

The departure of an entire colony from its hive, usually after prolonged dearth, disturbance, disease or extreme heat, leaving brood and empty combs behind.

Grafting

The transfer of very young worker larvae, under 24 hours old, into artificial queen cups so that the colony raises them as new queens.

Varroa destructor

An external parasitic mite that feeds on brood and adult bees; it weakens colonies and transmits viruses, and is managed with integrated mite control.

American foulbrood

A bacterial brood disease caused by Paenibacillus larvae; larvae die after capping, forming ropy remains and a foul smell, and infected combs must be destroyed.

Wax moth

The larva of Galleria mellonella that tunnels through stored combs, especially in weak colonies; strong colonies and dry storage prevent damage.

Hydroxymethylfurfural

HMF, a compound formed when honey is overheated or stored too long; its level is a quality indicator and high values indicate heat damage.

Diastase activity

An enzyme activity in honey used as a freshness and quality indicator; it decreases with excessive heating and prolonged storage, so high values are preferred.

Royal jelly

A nutrient-rich secretion from nurse bees' hypopharyngeal glands, fed to queen larvae; it is highly perishable and must be chilled quickly after harvest.

Break-even yield

The honey yield per colony at which total revenue equals total cost; it is calculated from fixed and variable costs and the market price of honey.

Farmer producer organisation

A collective of beekeepers that pools equipment, training and marketing, allowing members to negotiate better prices and access organised markets.

Hive record card

A per-colony record of inspection date, queen status, brood area, stores, disease signs and treatments, used to track colony performance over seasons.

Frame handling

Removing frames slowly and keeping them vertical to avoid crushing bees, rolling the queen or dislodging brood from the comb during inspection.