black bee
- noun
- UK
:
abeja negra
- Beekeepers sometimes prefer the black bee for its ability to survive harsh winters.
Examples
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Unlike the Italian honeybee, the black bee can be more defensive around its hive.
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The black bee is known for its resilience in colder climates.
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The black bee is known for its aggressive behavior.
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Have you ever seen a black bee in the garden?
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Beekeepers sometimes prefer the black bee for its ability to survive harsh winters.
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The black bee is known for its resilience in colder climates.
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Unlike the Italian honeybee, the black bee can be more defensive around its hive.
Synonyms
A dark, defensive honeybee bred in Germany for beekeeping
How Aggressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The basic meaning—a bee that is black or dark-colored—is directly and predictably derived from combining the adjective 'black' with the noun 'bee', following a common adjective+noun composition. Although the entry adds species-specific and behavioral details that require additional knowledge, a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the core referent as a dark-colored bee.
Etymology
Black bee may come from the simple image of a dark insect, because local farmers and beekeepers in northern Europe used the words black and bee to name the darker local honeybee. Because these bees can survive cold winters and are often more defensive around their hive, the name came to mean that specific dark, hardy kind of honeybee.