honeybee

American  

[huhn-ee-bee] / ˈhʌn iˌbi /

Or honey bee

noun

1. any bee that collects and stores honey, especially Apis mellifera.

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honeybee British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌbiː /

noun

1. Also called: hive bee.  any of various social honey-producing bees of the genus Apis, esp A. mellifera, which has been widely domesticated as a source of honey and beeswax

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Etymology

Origin of honeybee

First recorded in 1560–70; honey + bee ¹

Explanation

Honeybees are the winged insects that beekeepers like best, because they naturally produce extra honey and can be raised to produce the sweet, sticky stuff. Honeybees, as their name implies, make a lot of honey, storing surplus amounts in their waxy hives. Humans have domesticated two species of honeybee, raising them for the extra honey they produce. You can tell the difference between a bumblebee, which is native to North America, and a honeybee, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe, by comparing their bodies. Honeybees are slim, with a distinct head, while bumblebees are fat and fuzzy.

Example Sentences

Prof Anil Gupta who runs the Honeybee Network, a platform for supporting such ventures, call these "frugal innovations".

From BBC • May 26, 2025

Outside his door, an 8-by-12-foot American flag snapped loudly in the wind whipping through his Dixon neighborhood, down streets named Songbird, Honeybee and Blossom.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

An online pharmacy based in California, Honeybee Health, hopes to use that law to ship to all 50 states, said Jessica Nouhavandi, co-founder and president of Honeybee.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2023

Honeybee flower visits were recorded more frequently in the monitored area than visits by other insects.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2023

"Oh!" said Georgina Honeybee one afternoon, just before Good Friday, "wouldn't it be nice to go away for Easter?"

From Humorous Readings and Recitations In prose and verse by Various