Title: Beekeeping Fundamentals — LearnCoachAssist

Q: What is beekeeping?
A: The practice of maintaining colonies of honey bees, typically in human-built hives.

Q: What is apiculture?
A: The technical term for beekeeping.

Q: What is an apiary?
A: A location where beehives are kept.

Q: What is a beekeeper?
A: A person who keeps bees.

Q: What is a colony?
A: A community of bees living together as a single superorganism.

Q: What is the social structure of a honey bee colony?
A: One queen, thousands of workers, a few hundred drones during summer.

Q: What is a queen bee?
A: The single reproductive female in a colony; lays all the eggs.

Q: What is a worker bee?
A: An infertile female; performs nearly all colony tasks.

Q: What is a drone?
A: A male bee whose only purpose is to mate with virgin queens.

Q: How long does a queen live?
A: 2-5 years; longest of any bee.

Q: How long does a worker live?
A: Summer workers ~6 weeks; winter workers can survive 4-6 months.

Q: How long does a drone live?
A: A few weeks during the warm season; expelled before winter.

Q: How many bees in a typical colony?
A: 20,000 in winter to 60,000+ at peak season.

Q: What is brood?
A: Bee larvae and pupae developing in cells.

Q: What is the egg-to-adult time for a worker?
A: 21 days from egg to adult.

Q: What is the egg-to-adult time for a queen?
A: 16 days from egg to adult.

Q: What is the egg-to-adult time for a drone?
A: 24 days from egg to adult.

Q: What is royal jelly?
A: A protein-rich secretion fed to all young larvae briefly and to queens throughout.

Q: What determines whether a larva becomes a queen?
A: Exclusive feeding of royal jelly causes development into a queen.

Q: What are the worker bee's task progression?
A: Cell cleaning → nurse → wax-building → guard → forager.

Q: What is a nurse bee?
A: A young worker feeding larvae and the queen.

Q: What is a forager bee?
A: An older worker collecting nectar, pollen, water, propolis.

Q: What is foraging range?
A: Bees commonly forage 2-3 miles from the hive, up to 5+.

Q: How many flowers does a bee visit per trip?
A: 50-100 flowers per foraging trip.

Q: How many trips per day does a forager make?
A: 10-20 trips on a productive day.

Q: What is the waggle dance?
A: A communication dance encoding direction and distance to food.

Q: Who described the waggle dance?
A: Karl von Frisch, Nobel Prize 1973.

Q: What is the round dance?
A: Communicates food source close to the hive (<50 m).

Q: What is nectar?
A: Sugary liquid produced by flowers; bees turn it into honey.

Q: What is pollen?
A: Plant reproductive cells; the colony's protein source.

Q: What is honey?
A: Concentrated, modified nectar stored as food.

Q: How is honey made?
A: Bees regurgitate nectar, evaporate water, and enzymatically transform sugars.

Q: What is the water content of finished honey?
A: 17-18%.

Q: Why doesn't honey spoil?
A: Low water content and acidity prevent microbial growth.

Q: What is propolis?
A: A resin from tree buds bees use to seal and sanitize the hive.

Q: What is beeswax?
A: A waxy substance secreted by glands on worker bees' abdomens.

Q: What temperature do bees produce wax at?
A: ~33-36°C (91-97°F).

Q: What is a honeycomb?
A: Hexagonal cells built from beeswax used for brood and storage.

Q: Why hexagonal cells?
A: Maximum storage with minimum wax use; mathematically efficient.

Q: What is a brood comb?
A: Comb cells used for raising young.

Q: What is a honey comb?
A: Comb cells used for storing honey.

Q: What is a queen cell?
A: A larger, peanut-shaped cell where queens develop.

Q: What is a swarm cell?
A: A queen cell on the bottom of a comb, made to produce a new queen during swarming.

Q: What is a supersedure cell?
A: A queen cell on the face of a comb, made to replace a failing queen.

Q: What is swarming?
A: The natural method of colony reproduction; about half the bees leave with the old queen.

Q: What triggers swarming?
A: Congestion, abundant resources, age of queen, genetics.

Q: How to prevent swarming?
A: Add space (supers), make splits, remove queen cells, ensure ventilation.

Q: What is a split?
A: Dividing a colony to create two; controls swarming and grows the apiary.

Q: What is absconding?
A: When an entire colony abandons the hive; rare in temperate beekeeping.

Q: What is the difference between swarming and absconding?
A: Swarming leaves a daughter colony; absconding leaves nothing.

Q: What is a Langstroth hive?
A: The most common modern hive design with movable frames.

Q: Who invented the Langstroth hive?
A: Lorenzo Langstroth, 1851.

Q: What is bee space?
A: The 3/8-inch (~9.5mm) gap bees won't fill with wax or propolis; key to movable frames.

Q: What is a top-bar hive?
A: A horizontal hive with bars rather than full frames.

Q: What is a Warre hive?
A: A vertical hive resembling a tree hollow, with top bars and no frames.

Q: What is a flow hive?
A: A modern hive with built-in honey extraction; controversial among traditionalists.

Q: What is a hive body / brood box?
A: The deep box housing the brood nest.

Q: What is a super?
A: A box added above the brood box to store honey.

Q: What is a medium super?
A: A common honey super depth; lighter to lift than deep.

Q: What is a frame?
A: A wooden or plastic rectangle holding comb in a Langstroth-style hive.

Q: What is foundation?
A: A wax or plastic sheet with cell impressions to guide comb-building.

Q: What is foundationless beekeeping?
A: Letting bees build natural comb without foundation.

Q: What is a queen excluder?
A: A grid that workers can pass through but the queen can't; keeps brood out of honey supers.

Q: What is an inner cover?
A: A board between the top super and outer cover; supports ventilation.

Q: What is the outer cover?
A: The weatherproof top of the hive.

Q: What is a bottom board?
A: The base of the hive; can be solid or screened.

Q: What is a screened bottom board?
A: A bottom with mesh; supports varroa monitoring and ventilation.

Q: What is an entrance reducer?
A: A wooden block restricting hive entrance size.

Q: What protective gear do beekeepers wear?
A: Veil, suit (or jacket), gloves, boots.

Q: What is a smoker?
A: A tool generating cool smoke to calm bees during inspections.

Q: Why does smoke calm bees?
A: It masks alarm pheromones and triggers bees to gorge on honey, making them docile.

Q: What is a hive tool?
A: A flat metal lever for prying frames apart and scraping propolis/wax.

Q: What is the most common bee species in modern beekeeping?
A: Apis mellifera (European honey bee).

Q: What are Apis mellifera subspecies?
A: Italian, Carniolan, Caucasian, Russian, Buckfast, etc.

Q: What are Italian bees known for?
A: Gentle, prolific, popular with beginners; can rob neighbors.

Q: What are Carniolan bees known for?
A: Gentle, rapid spring buildup, good for cold climates.

Q: What are Russian bees known for?
A: Varroa resistance; can be a bit defensive.

Q: What are Buckfast bees?
A: A hybrid developed by Brother Adam; balanced traits.

Q: What are Africanized bees?
A: Hybrid of African and European bees; more defensive but productive.

Q: What is the queen's primary role?
A: Laying eggs (up to 2,000/day at peak) and producing pheromones.

Q: What is queen mating?
A: Queens mate with 10-20 drones in flight; store sperm for life.

Q: What is a virgin queen?
A: A queen who hasn't mated yet.

Q: What is requeening?
A: Replacing a queen with a new one to improve colony traits.

Q: Why might you requeen?
A: Aggressive bees, poor laying, disease resistance, age.

Q: What is supersedure?
A: When a colony replaces its failing queen without swarming.

Q: What is the role of pheromones in a colony?
A: Coordinate behavior, identify members, signal status and needs.

Q: What is QMP?
A: Queen Mandibular Pheromone; maintains colony cohesion.

Q: What is alarm pheromone?
A: Released when bees sting; signals other bees to defend.

Q: What is Nasonov pheromone?
A: Released by workers to signal hive location or to call swarms.

Q: What is a sting?
A: A defensive mechanism; honey bees usually die after stinging humans.

Q: Why do honey bees die after stinging?
A: Their barbed stinger detaches in mammalian skin, fatally wounding them.

Q: What is the first aid for a bee sting?
A: Scrape (don't squeeze) the stinger; ice; antihistamine; watch for anaphylaxis.

Q: What is anaphylaxis?
A: A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction; needs immediate epinephrine.

Q: What is the difference between bees and wasps?
A: Bees are typically hairy, vegetarian (pollen); wasps are slim, often carnivorous and aggressive.

Q: What is honey extraction?
A: Removing honey from frames, typically with an uncapping tool and extractor.

Q: What is uncapping?
A: Removing the wax caps over honey-filled cells.

Q: What is a honey extractor?
A: A device spinning frames to fling honey out by centrifugal force.

Q: What is crush-and-strain?
A: A low-tech method of crushing comb and straining honey through cloth.

Q: What is the typical honey yield?
A: 30-60 lbs (15-25 kg) per colony per year in temperate climates.

Q: What is comb honey?
A: Honey sold still in the comb; high-value product.

Q: What is cut comb?
A: Pieces of comb cut from frames for sale.

Q: What is crystallized honey?
A: Honey that has formed sugar crystals; natural and reversible by warming.

Q: What is creamed honey?
A: Intentionally crystallized honey with smooth texture.

Q: What is the difference between raw and processed honey?
A: Raw is unheated and unfiltered; processed may be heated and finely filtered.

Q: What is varietal honey?
A: Honey from a specific floral source (clover, orange blossom, manuka).

Q: What is manuka honey?
A: Honey from New Zealand manuka tree; valued for medicinal properties.

Q: What is honeydew honey?
A: Honey made from aphid secretions on tree leaves; common in forests.

Q: What is mead?
A: An alcoholic beverage fermented from honey; oldest known alcoholic drink.

Q: What is wax production?
A: A side product of beekeeping; used in candles, cosmetics, food preservation.

Q: What is propolis use?
A: Used by bees to seal cracks and sanitize; humans use for tinctures.

Q: What is bee pollen?
A: Pollen pellets harvested with pollen traps; sold as supplement.

Q: What is royal jelly's commercial use?
A: Sold as supplement; effects on humans not definitively proven.

Q: What is the difference between local and commercial honey?
A: Local is small-scale, often raw; commercial may be blended and processed.

Q: What is varroa mite?
A: The most damaging parasite of honey bees globally.

Q: What is Varroa destructor?
A: The scientific name for the destructive varroa mite.

Q: How do varroa harm bees?
A: They feed on bee fat bodies and transmit viruses.

Q: What is the mite-bee ratio threshold for treatment?
A: ~3% mites per 100 bees (varies by treatment recommendations).

Q: What is varroa monitoring methods?
A: Alcohol wash, sugar roll, sticky board count.

Q: What are varroa treatments?
A: Oxalic acid, formic acid, thymol, amitraz, mechanical methods.

Q: What is integrated pest management for varroa?
A: Combining biological, mechanical, and chemical approaches.

Q: What is small hive beetle?
A: A pest from Africa that fouls honey and weakens colonies.

Q: What are tracheal mites?
A: Microscopic mites in bee airways; mostly managed now.

Q: What is American Foulbrood (AFB)?
A: A devastating bacterial disease; spores last decades.

Q: How is AFB controlled?
A: Often by destruction (burning) of infected colonies in many jurisdictions.

Q: What is European Foulbrood (EFB)?
A: A less severe bacterial brood disease.

Q: What is Nosema?
A: A microsporidian disease affecting bee gut.

Q: What is chalkbrood?
A: A fungal disease of larvae.

Q: What is deformed wing virus (DWV)?
A: A common viral disease, often spread by varroa.

Q: What is colony collapse disorder (CCD)?
A: A phenomenon where worker bees abandon the hive; causes are multifaceted.

Q: What is the suspected cause of CCD?
A: Combination of pesticides, parasites, pathogens, nutrition, stressors.

Q: What is neonicotinoid?
A: A class of pesticides implicated in pollinator declines.

Q: What is the role of habitat?
A: Diverse flowering plants and pesticide-free environments support bees.

Q: What is the importance of pollinators?
A: They pollinate ~1/3 of human food crops.

Q: What is the value of honey bee pollination?
A: Estimated $15+ billion annually in US agriculture alone.

Q: What is pollination service?
A: Renting bees to farmers for crop pollination.

Q: What is almond pollination?
A: The largest managed pollination event; millions of hives move to California in February.

Q: What is migratory beekeeping?
A: Moving colonies for crop pollination.

Q: What is the difference between honey bees and native bees?
A: Honey bees are introduced (Europe); native bees include bumblebees, mason bees, leafcutters.

Q: What is a bumblebee?
A: A large, fuzzy native pollinator; smaller colonies; effective pollinators.

Q: What is a mason bee?
A: Solitary native bee; excellent pollinator; great for backyards.

Q: What is a leafcutter bee?
A: A solitary bee cutting leaf pieces for nest construction.

Q: What is the importance of native bee conservation?
A: ~700+ native bee species in North America; many declining.

Q: What is the location to place a hive?
A: Sun (especially morning), dry, sheltered from wind, water nearby, calm space.

Q: What is the orientation of a hive entrance?
A: Generally facing east or south to catch morning sun.

Q: What is the legal aspect of beekeeping?
A: Varies by jurisdiction; many require registration and follow setback rules.

Q: What are common neighbors' concerns?
A: Stinging, swarms; communication and good practices help.

Q: What is a swarm trap?
A: A box designed to attract swarms; can grow an apiary cheaply.

Q: What is a bait hive?
A: Same as a swarm trap; uses lemongrass oil and old comb to attract swarms.

Q: What is the timing of a typical beekeeping year?
A: Spring buildup → summer peak → fall preparation → winter survival.

Q: What is the spring buildup?
A: Rapid colony expansion as flowers bloom.

Q: What is a nectar flow?
A: A period when many flowers are producing nectar.

Q: What is a dearth?
A: A period with little nectar; bees may rob or starve.

Q: What is fall preparation?
A: Treatment for varroa, ensuring honey stores, mouse guards, condensing colonies.

Q: What is wintering?
A: Helping colonies survive winter with sufficient food and ventilation.

Q: What are winter losses?
A: The percentage of colonies dying; varies but can be 20-50% in some regions.

Q: What is winter cluster?
A: Bees form a ball in the center of the hive to maintain warmth.

Q: What is the cluster temperature?
A: ~93-96°F (34-36°C) in the center; outside can be much colder.

Q: What is candy board?
A: Hard sugar feed placed above the cluster for emergency winter food.

Q: What is sugar syrup?
A: Sugar-water feeding; 1:1 in spring, 2:1 in fall.

Q: What is fondant?
A: A thicker sugar food for winter feeding.

Q: What is pollen substitute?
A: A protein supplement when natural pollen is scarce.

Q: What is the difference between syrup and patty?
A: Syrup is liquid sugar feed; patty is solid protein supplement.

Q: What is robbing?
A: When bees from other colonies (or wasps) steal honey from a weak hive.

Q: How to prevent robbing?
A: Reduce entrances, avoid spills, equalize colony strengths.

Q: What is a robbing screen?
A: A device that confuses robbers but allows residents to navigate.

Q: What is a queen rearing?
A: The practice of producing queens deliberately, often for sale or splits.

Q: What is grafting (beekeeping)?
A: Transferring larvae into queen cell cups for queen production.

Q: What is a virgin queen flight?
A: Maiden flight to mate with drones.

Q: What is a drone congregation area (DCA)?
A: A specific location where drones gather waiting for queens.

Q: What is the gentle hive inspection rule?
A: Move slowly, no sudden moves; use smoke sparingly; avoid blocking entrance.

Q: What is the inspection frequency?
A: Every 7-10 days during active season; less frequent off-season.

Q: What signs do you look for during inspection?
A: Queen presence, eggs, larvae, brood pattern, food stores, mites, disease.

Q: What is a healthy brood pattern?
A: Solid (most cells full), even age groups, capped uniformly.

Q: What is a spotty brood pattern?
A: Indicates queen issues, disease, or pesticide exposure.

Q: What is the "1, 2, 3 day rule"?
A: Egg = 1 day, hatched = day 3; visible eggs mean queen laid within 3 days.

Q: What is the importance of records?
A: Notes on each inspection help track colony health and progress.

Q: What is small-scale vs commercial beekeeping?
A: Backyard: 1-5 hives, hobby; commercial: 100s-1000s for revenue.

Q: What are sideliners?
A: Beekeepers with enough hives for partial income.

Q: What is the cost to start beekeeping?
A: $300-$600+ for one starter hive with bees, plus protective gear and tools.

Q: What is the importance of mentorship?
A: Local mentors and clubs invaluable; beekeeping is regional and complex.

Q: What is bee club?
A: A local beekeeping association offering education and community.

Q: What is "the wisdom of bees" idiom?
A: Common phrase for the natural intelligence of colony organization.

Q: What is the role of beekeeping in ecology?
A: Supports food systems and signals environmental health.

Q: What is the impact of climate on beekeeping?
A: Climate change shifts flowering times and stressors.

Q: What is the importance of avoiding pesticides nearby?
A: Pesticide drift can decimate colonies.

Q: What is bee-friendly gardening?
A: Native flowers, sequential bloom, no pesticides, water source.

Q: What are good bee plants?
A: Lavender, sage, borage, sunflowers, clover, fruit trees, native wildflowers.

Q: What is the joy of beekeeping?
A: Connection with seasons, contribution to ecology, fascinating biology, sweet rewards.

Q: What is the most important beginner advice?
A: Find a local mentor, read widely, start with two hives, expect a learning year.

Q: What is the takeaway of beekeeping?
A: Beekeeping is partnership with a wild insect; humility and patience yield sweetness.

Q: What is bottling honey?
A: Pouring filtered honey into jars; ideally at slightly warm temperature.

Q: What is the legal requirement for selling honey?
A: Varies; many require small-scale exemptions and proper labeling.

Q: What is labeling for honey sale?
A: Often net weight, source, beekeeper info, batch identification.

Q: What is the role of "raw" labeling?
A: Indicates honey hasn't been heated or finely filtered; valued by consumers.

Q: What is "single varietal" labeling?
A: Honey from a specific flower source; ID requires pollen analysis.

Q: What is melissopalynology?
A: The science of identifying honey origin via pollen content.

Q: What is the role of fall feeding?
A: Topping up reserves if natural stores are insufficient.

Q: What is the typical winter food requirement?
A: 60-80 pounds of honey for a colony in northern climates.

Q: What is "checkerboarding"?
A: Alternating empty and full frames in spring to prevent swarming.

Q: What is "splitting" timing?
A: Spring during buildup; before swarming impulse peaks.

Q: What is "queen banking"?
A: Holding extra queens in mini-colonies for use as needed.

Q: What is "introducing a queen"?
A: Placing a queen in a colony with slow-release cage for acceptance.

Q: What is "balling" a queen?
A: Workers clustering around an unaccepted queen, often killing her.

Q: What is the importance of slow queen introduction?
A: Reduces rejection and balling.

Q: What is "candy plug"?
A: Hard candy that workers chew through to release the new queen.

Q: What is the importance of beekeeping records?
A: Tracks hive history, queen origins, treatments, harvests.

Q: What is the role of mentorship for new beekeepers?
A: Critical; reduces costly mistakes and accelerates learning.