Glossary terms beginning with B

Bagworms

cf. Psychidae - a group of small moths, also known as bagworms or case-bearers, whose females never leave their pupal case.

Barklice

cf. Psocoptera - the Psocoptera (or booklice and barklice) are an Order of insects. They are small insects but, despite being called lice, are not parasites.

Batesian mimicry

a type of mimicry where one organism mimics a poisonous or unpalatable one.
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BCM

cf. Bug Club Magazine - the Bug Club Magazine is a publication for children and young people interested in insects and other terrestrial invertebrates.

Beating tray

a device for collecting insects that hide within foliage.
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Bee

cf. Apoidea - insects in the superfamily Apoidea within the Order Hymenoptera. They are more commonly known as bees. Most people think of bees as social insects but there are many more species of solitary bee.

Bee bread

a mixture of pollen and nectar or honey. It is the main food source for honey bee larvae and workers.
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Bee glue

cf. Propolis - a type of tree resin used by honey bees.

Bee milk

cf. Royal jelly - a protein-rich substance produced by honey bees to feed to developing larvae.

Bee pollen

cf. Bee bread - a mixture of pollen and nectar or honey. It is the main food source for honey bee larvae and workers.

Bee yard

cf. Apiary - the location where bee hives are kept.

Bee-fly

a Family of flies that have stout, furry bodies and resemble bumblebees.
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Beeswax

a substance secreted by worker honey bees and used to build honey combs.
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Beetles

cf. Coleoptera - the Coleoptera/beetles are regarded as the most species rich of all the Orders of insects.

Berry bugs

cf. Harvest mite - mites within the Family Trombiculidae. The larvae of these mites, called Chiggers, are parasitic and can cause considerable irritation and swelling.

Binomial naming system

the system used to name species.
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Binominal nomenclature

cf. Binomial naming system - the system used to name species.

BioBlitz

an intense period of biological recording (usually lasting 24 hours) within a specific area.
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Biocontrol

cf. Biological control - the use of one living organism to control a pest species by humans.

Biodiversity

a term meaning the variety of life, in all its forms.
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Biological classification

the process by which scientists group living organisms.
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Biological control

the use of one living organism to control a pest species by humans.
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Biological recording

the diligent recording of biodiversity, coupled with the use of computers to process this information, and to learn from it.
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Biting lice

cf. Phthiraptera - wingless ectoparasites. There are two main kinds of lice (Order Phthiraptera); the biting lice and the sucking lice.

Bivoltine

a species having two broods per year.
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Bivouac

a temporary structure formed to protect the queen and larvae of army and driver ants.
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Black death

cf. Bubonic plague - a bacterial disease that is often fatal and is transmitted between mammalian hosts by fleas.

Blackfly

cf. Aphid - insects in the Superfamily Aphidoidea within the Suborder Sternorrhyncha. They are often considered pests on plants.

Blattodea

an Order of insects that contains the cockroaches. Cockroaches are some of the most despised insects despite there being only about 25 species that are considered pests.
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Blowfly strike

cf. Myiasis - an infestation of the living tissues of a vertebrate animal by fly larvae.

Blues

the collective name given to butterflies within the family Lycaenidae that have blue wings.
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Boisea trivittata

cf. Boxelder bug - a true bug found in America that can gather in large numbers within houses and become a nuisance.

Bombyliidae

cf. Bee-fly - a Family of flies that have stout, furry bodies and resemble bumblebees.

Book lung

the main respiratory organ in many arachnids.
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Booklice

cf. Psocoptera - the Psocoptera (or booklice and barklice) are an Order of insects. They are small insects but, despite being called lice, are not parasites.

Borreliosis

cf. Lyme disease - a disease caused by bacteria transmitted to a mammalian host by a tick.

Botfly

a family of true flies with larvae that are parasitic on humans and other mammals.
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Boxelder bug

a true bug found in America that can gather in large numbers within houses and become a nuisance.
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Brachypterous

a term used to describe an animal with short or reduced wings.
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Breakbone fever

cf. Dengue fever - a disease, caused by the Dengue virus, transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.

Brincador

cf. Jumping bean - the seed of a shrub in which a larvae of a moth is developing. The larvae causes the seed to jump.

Brood parasitism

a form of parasitism whereby the parasite uses another organism to raise the parasite's offspring rather than the host's own offspring.
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Browns

the collective name given to butterflies within the family Nymphalidae that have brown wings.
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Bubonic plague

a bacterial disease that is often fatal and is transmitted between mammalian hosts by fleas.
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Buddleia

a flowering shrub that is very attractive to butterflies.
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Bug

cf. Hemiptera - the Hemiptera/true bugs are an Order of insects including the aphids and shieldbugs.

Bug Club

the junior section of the Amateur Entomologists' Society.
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Bug Club Magazine

the Bug Club Magazine is a publication for children and young people interested in insects and other terrestrial invertebrates.
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Bulletin

the Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists' Society is the Society's high-quality, house journal.
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Bush cricket

cf. Katydid - a family of large crickets.

Butterfly

cf. Lepidoptera - butterflies and Moths/Order Lepidoptera are probably the most widely studied order of invertebrates. The Order comprises some 160,000 species.

Butterfly bush

cf. Buddleia - a flowering shrub that is very attractive to butterflies.

Butterfly net

a common piece of equipment used by an entomologist. It is used to catch flying insects.
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