Africanized bee

noun

: a honeybee that originated in Brazil as an accidental hybrid between an aggressive African subspecies (Apis mellifera scutellata) and previously established European honeybees and has spread to Mexico and the southernmost U.S. by breeding with local bees producing populations retaining most of the African bee's traits

called also Africanized honeybee, killer bee

Examples of Africanized bee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Florida is considered an Africanized bee state. —

Christine Sexton, sun-sentinel.com, 11 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Africanized bee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Africanized bee was in 1970

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Dictionary Entries Near Africanized bee

Africanize

Africanized bee

African juniper

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Africanized bee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Africanized%20bee. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

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Medical Definition

Africanized bee

noun

Af·ri·can·ized bee ˌaf-ri-kə-ˌnīzd-

: a honeybee that originated in Brazil as an accidental hybrid between an aggressive African subspecies (Apis mellifera scutellata) and previously established European honeybees and has spread to Mexico and the southernmost United States by breeding with local bees producing populations retaining most of the African bee's traits

called also Africanized honeybee, killer bee