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| Apiarist | A keeper of honey bees |
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| Apiculture | The craft of beekeeping, allegedly a rather cool activity nowadays |
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| Apis | The genus to which bees belong |
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| Artificial swarm | A swarm made (or caused) by the beekeeper at his convenience |
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| Bag | Another word for udder. |
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| Bantam | A miniature breed of chicken, as little as a quarter the size of a "normal" bird. Can be more flighty, they lay smaller eggs, but may do less damage with their feet. |
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| Bee Dance | The method by which honey bees communicatie direction and distance of a food source. AKA waggle dance |
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| Bee space | A space approx 5/16 of an inch; above or below this the bees would build wax, or glue with propolis |
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| Beeswax | A secretion from the wax glands of the bee's abdomen, very useful for all sorts of things |
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| Bloat | A build up of gas in the rumen of cattle, can be quite serious sometimes leading to suffocation. |
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| Brace comb | Pieces of comb built between frames or other parts of the bee hive |
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| Brood nest | The brood chamber where the queen bee lays her eggs and which the brood occupy |
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| Broody | A bit worrying when you see it in action for the first time, but try to remember its a natural process where a hen is preparing herself for motherhood. A broody refuses to leave her nest, becomes very protective of it to the point of violence, makes an agressive purring or shrieking noise when you try to move her, and will probably pull some feathers off her chest and underside - this lets her body get closer to the eggs and keep them at a more constant temparature. A hen will stay broody for as long as two months and won't lay during this time. She'll stop when she gets bored, or when she hears the pitter patter of tiny beaks... |
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| Bullock | A castrated male (bull) |
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| Cast | A second swarm, with the first virgin queen, to emerge |
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| Cells | Hexagonal components of the honey comb |
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| Cleansing flight | Flights taken by honey bees on mild days of winter or early spring |
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| Colostrum | This is the name for the first milk available for suckling, very important for the newborn as it is rich in antibodies that will help the animal develop it's immune system. |
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| Comb foundation | AKA foundation - sheets of honey-comb embossed wax |
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| Comb, Poultry | The sticky-up, normally red bit on top of a chicken's head. |
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| Dagging | The removal of soiled fleece from between the thighs and around the udders on sheep, prevents infections |
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| Dummy Board | A frame of wood to take the place of a wax frame in the bee hive |
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| Egg-bound | When a chicken is unable to lay an egg that's ready to be laid. A bad thing, which can lead to death. If you don't have a chicken expert handy, head for a good book, or the livestock forum on this site. |
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| Ewe | Female sheep |
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| Extractor | A device for the removal of honey from the frames by the use of centrifugal force |
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Glossary