bee p. p. of Be; -- used for been.(Spenser.)n.[AS. be; akin to D. bij and bije, Icel. b, Sw. & Dan. bi, OHG. pini, G. biene, and perh. Ir. beach, Lith. bitis, Skr. bha. 97.]1. (Zol.) An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and family Apid (the honeybees), or family Andrenid (the solitary bees.) See Honeybee.()()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.()The cellar . . . was dug by a bee in a single day. (S. G. Goodrich.)[Prob. fr. AS. beh ring, fr. bgan to bend. See 1st Bow.]3. (Naut.) Pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through; -- called also bee blocks.()Bee beetle (Zol.), a beetle (Trichodes apiarius) parasitic in beehives. -- Bee bird (Zol.), 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 (Zol.), a two winged fly of the family Bombyliid. 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 (Zol.), the honey buzzard. -- Bee killer (Zol.), a large two-winged fly of the family Asilid (esp. Trupanea apivora) which feeds upon the honeybee. See Robber fly. -- Bee louse (Zol.), a minute, wingless, dipterous insect (Braula cca) parasitic on hive bees. -- Bee martin (Zol.), the kingbird (Tyrannus Carolinensis) which occasionally feeds on bees. -- Bee moth (Zol.), a moth (Galleria cereana) whose larv feed on honeycomb, occasioning great damage in beehives. -- Bee wolf (Zol.), 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.()n.1. a perennial herb (Monarda fistulosa) of North America.()2. a perennial aromatic herb of eastern North America (Monarda didyma) having variously colored tubular flowers in dense showy heads.()3. a bushy perennial Old World mint, Melissa officinalis, having small white or yellowish flowers and fragrant lemon-flavored leaves; a garden escapee in northern Europe and North America.()
