Honeybee

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Honeybee \Hon"ey*bee`\, n. (Zool.)
     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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  honeybee
       n : social bee often domesticated for the honey it produces
           [syn: {Apis mellifera}]