catflap.org Online Dictionary Query

  Honeybee \Hon"ey*bee`\, n. (Zo["o]l.)
     Any bee of the genus Apis, which lives in communities and
     collects honey, esp. the common domesticated hive bee ({Apis
     mellifica), the Italian bee ({Apis ligustica}), and the
     Arabiab bee ({Apis fasciata). The two latter are by many
     entomologists considered only varieties of the common hive
     bee. Each swarm of bees consists of a large number of workers
     (barren females), with, ordinarily, one queen or fertile
     female, but in the swarming season several young queens, and
     a number of males or drones, are produced.
     [1913 Webster]

  Bee \Bee\ (b[=e]), n. [AS. be['o]; akin to D. bij and bije,
     Icel. b[=y], Sw. & Dan. bi, OHG. pini, G. biene, and perh.
     Ir. beach, Lith. bitis, Skr. bha. [root]97.]
     1. (Zo["o]l.) An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and
        family Apid[ae] (the honeybees), or family
        Andrenid[ae] (the solitary bees.) See Honeybee.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: There are many genera and species. The common honeybee
           ({Apis mellifica) lives in swarms, each of which has
           its own queen, its males or drones, and its very
           numerous workers, which are barren females. Besides the
           Apis mellifica there are other species and varieties
           of honeybees, as the Apis ligustica of Spain and
           Italy; the Apis Indica of India; the Apis fasciata
           of Egypt. The bumblebee is a species of Bombus. The
           tropical honeybees belong mostly to Melipoma and
           Trigona.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A neighborly gathering of people who engage in united
        labor for the benefit of an individual or family; as, a
        quilting bee; a husking bee; a raising bee. [U. S.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The cellar . . . was dug by a bee in a single day.
                                                    --S. G.
                                                    Goodrich.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. pl. [Prob. fr. AS. be['a]h ring, fr. b?gan to bend. See
        1st Bow.] (Naut.) Pieces of hard wood bolted to the
        sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays
        through; -- called also bee blocks.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Bee+beetle+(Zo["o]l.),+a+beetle+({Trichodes+apiarius" rel="nofollow">Bee beetle (Zo["o]l.), a beetle ({Trichodes apiarius)
        parasitic in beehives.
  
     Bee bird (Zo["o]l.), a bird that eats the honeybee, as the
        European flycatcher, and the American kingbird.
  
     Bee flower (Bot.), an orchidaceous plant of the genus
        Ophrys+({Ophrys+apifera" rel="nofollow">Ophrys ({Ophrys apifera), whose flowers have some
        resemblance to bees, flies, and other insects.
  
     Bee fly (Zo["o]l.), a two winged fly of the family
        Bombyliid[ae]. Some species, in the larval state, are
        parasitic upon bees.
  
     Bee garden, a garden or inclosure to set beehives in; an
        apiary. --Mortimer.
  
     Bee glue, a soft, unctuous matter, with which bees cement
        the combs to the hives, and close up the cells; -- called
        also propolis.
  
     Bee hawk (Zo["o]l.), the honey buzzard.
  
     Bee killer (Zo["o]l.), a large two-winged fly of the family
        Asilid[ae] (esp. Trupanea apivora) which feeds upon
        the honeybee. See Robber fly.
  
     Bee louse (Zo["o]l.), a minute, wingless, dipterous insect
        ({Braula c[ae]ca) parasitic on hive bees.
  
     Bee martin (Zo["o]l.), the kingbird ({Tyrannus
        Carolinensis) which occasionally feeds on bees.
  
     Bee+moth+(Zo["o]l.),+a+moth+({Galleria+cereana" rel="nofollow">Bee moth (Zo["o]l.), a moth ({Galleria cereana) whose
        larv[ae] feed on honeycomb, occasioning great damage in
        beehives.
  
     Bee wolf (Zo["o]l.), the larva of the bee beetle. See
        Illust. of Bee beetle.
  
     To have a bee in the head or To have a bee in the bonnet.
        (a) To be choleric. [Obs.]
        (b) To be restless or uneasy. --B. Jonson.
        (c) To be full of fancies; to be a little crazy. ``She's
            whiles crack-brained, and has a bee in her head.''
            --Sir W. Scott.
            [1913 Webster]