bee beetle

bee beetle
    n 1: European beetle; infests beehives
    

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. (Zool.) 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} (Zool.), a beetle ({Trichodes apiarius})
      parasitic in beehives.

   {Bee bird} (Zool.), 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}), whose flowers have some
      resemblance to bees, flies, and other insects.

   {Bee fly} (Zool.), 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} (Zool.), the honey buzzard.

   {Bee killer} (Zool.), a large two-winged fly of the family
      {Asilid[ae]} (esp. {Trupanea apivora}) which feeds upon
      the honeybee. See {Robber fly}.

   {Bee louse} (Zool.), a minute, wingless, dipterous insect
      ({Braula c[ae]ca}) parasitic on hive bees.

   {Bee martin} (Zool.), the kingbird ({Tyrannus Carolinensis})
      which occasionally feeds on bees.

   {Bee moth} (Zool.), a moth ({Galleria cereana}) whose
      larv[ae] feed on honeycomb, occasioning great damage in
      beehives.

   {Bee wolf} (Zool.), 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] beebalm