beekeeping

Definition

The practice of maintaining managed colonies of bees, primarily species in the genus Apis (honey bees) or stingless bees (Melipona and related genera), in artificial hives or other enclosures to harvest hive products—honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly—and to provide pollination services, queen bees, or nucleus colonies for sale.

Etymology

From bee + keeping.

Example

Migratory beekeeping, in which colonies are trucked thousands of kilometers to pollinate almond orchards in California, exemplifies how apiculture has become an industrial agricultural input.

Synonyms

• apiculture

Related Terms

• Apiary
• beekeeper
• hive
• colony collapse disorder
• pollination service
• Propolis
• Royal jelly
• queen rearing
• package bees

Usage Notes

Often used interchangeably with apiculture, though apiculture can imply a broader scientific or commercial scope while beekeeping emphasizes hands-on management. The term typically refers to social bees (Apis, Melipona, Bombus in some contexts), not solitary bee husbandry. Contrast with wild bee conservation or melittology (the study of all bees).