A to Z of Honey Bees And Beekeeping: U - Z
U
Urban beekeeping
With larger proportions of the population in most countries living in urban
areas, the practice of urban beekeeping has increased. It has its only particular set of
considerations. Read more about urban
beekeeping.
V
Varroa Destructor
A reddish brown mite that sucks the haemoglymph (bee
blood) of honey bees, and lay their eggs in honey bee brood cells. They spread diseases to honey bees. Read more about Varroa.
Venom
Venom from bee stings is a complex mixture, containing
pharmacologically active proteins, peptides and enzymes. A single sting
contains about 50 micrograms of venom.
Read more about bee venom.
Vitellogenin
An
egg protein stored in the fat bodies in the abdomens and heads of honey bees
(although it is also found in other species, such as fish). The fat body acts as food/energy storage, but
also the vitellogenin acts as an anti-oxidant.
Von Frisch, Karl (1886-1982)
Austrian zoologist and entomologist, who discovered that bees communicate with
each other using a kind of dance – the waggle dance’, to indicate the locations
of sources of nectar.
W
Waggle dance
A figure of eight dance performed by honey bees to
communicate the location of nectar food sources to other members of the honey
bee colony. Read about and watch the Waggle Dance.
Wax
Made by bees for the construction of cells for larvae and honey. Wax is also used to cap cells when the nectar
gathered by honey bees has completed its transformation into honey. Read more about wax.
Wax moth (lesser wax moth - Achroia grisella; greater wax
moth – Galleria mellonella)
Cause serious damage as they feed on the wax of combs,
leaving a silky, matted debris.
WBC Hive
A bee hive designed by William Broughton Carr in 1890,
which has a pagoda-like appearance. See
honey bee hives.
Worker
A female bee. Worker bees perform many
of the colony tasks, and are the most numerous of the bees within a colony.
Read more about honey bee colonies.
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