Each term is linked to a relevant post that we’ve written.
Beehive: This is a colony of bees that have been in one place long enough to build hive, honeycomb, wax, and brood comb. The members consist primarily of a Monarch Queen, Workers, and Drones. In their developing stage, there are also eggs, larvae, and pupa.
Swarm: Whenever a beehive becomes overcrowded, the colony will designate a new queen to take over. Once that is done, the existing (monarch) queen will take flight with about 1/3rd of the colony to free up resources in the existing hive. One fully established hive could produce multiple swarms each year. Those swarms eventually build new beehives in a different location. It’s how the species propagates.
Worker Bees: These are the female bees that comprise the majority of the colony. A few examples of worker bees are foragers, defenders, nurser, and scout bees.
Monarch Queen: This is the reigning queen in charge of a colony in an existing and established beehive.
Scout Bees: These are the bees in the colony that are responsible for finding a new home when a swarm splits from an existing beehive.
Straggler Bees: These are the bees that stick around a location after a swarm or beehive has been removed. Usually this is because they have been out foraging while the bees were removed. Once they come back and find the rest of the colony is gone, the stragglers will stick around for a while and eventually leave once they see the colony will not return.
Flight Pattern : This term describes the various way bees are flying in the environment or into a structure.
Landing Stain: This is a stain that is usually left outside of an entrance to a void where bees are entering. Its an important term in bee removal because evidence of a landing stain will often reveal an approximate age of the hive inside. Generally the darker the landing stain, the older the beehive.
Live Removal: In general, this is the process of removing a colony of bees without the use of pesticides.
Elimination: This is when a colony of bees are killed, usually by a pesticide application, often done for public safety.
Africanized Bees: These are bees that are often aggressive and defensive behaviorally, and often found in the environment. They are more commonly found in southern parts of the united states, like here in San Diego.
