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Although there was a large number of bee species in the Americas before the European settlers arrived, none of them were what we now recognize as honey bees. When the settlers arrived, they brought their honey bees with them to pollinate the European seeds and saplings they had also brought. Without them the grasslands would not have been covered with the clover the imported livestock ate.
It wasn't long before the Native Americans realized that seeing the honey bee presaged death and destruction for them and their way of life -- and they came to refer to the bee as the 'white man's fly'.

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Q: Why were honey bees at one time called white man's flies?
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Related questions

How long has the honey bee lived in the Americas?

Honey bees were first introduced to the eastern coastal areas of North America by early settlers in 1622. Prior to that there were no native honey bees in the Americas. The native Americans first called bees 'white man's flies'.


What is a pack of Honey Bees called?

A pack of Honey Bees is called a Swarm.


What is called to the home of honey bees?

In English, the home of honey bees is called the hive.


Which is right - catch more bees with honey or catch more flies with honey?

Them saying is you can catch more flies with honey.


Do honey bees live in the US?

Very much so. There probably around two million honey bee colonies in the US, not counting feral colonies. Honey bees are not native the US, they were introduced by European settlers over two hundred years ago. The native Americans called them the 'white man's flies'.


Do honey bees have relatives?

Honey bees are insects in the family Hymenoptera. Other members of the family are the other varieties of bees (bumble bees, solitary bees, carder bees, stingless bees, and so on), wasps, ants, saw flies, and hover flies among others.


Did Native Americans eat honey?

No. Honey was introduced by Europeans around the 17th century. The Natives referred to bees as "white man's flies"


What are the bees that collect honey called?

Worker bees.


Are honey bees made out of honey?

No, honey bees are insects that produce honey as a food source. Honey bees collect nectar from flowers and use it to make honey, which they store in their hives as a source of energy. Honey bees are not made out of honey.


The bees who are busy taking care of the hive and making honey are called?

I think those in particular are called Honey Bees. There are two different types of bees: the Honey Bee (or just the Bee) and the Bumble Bee.


When the compartment of honey bees is filled with honey then where do they live?

A beehive has different sections. The main part is called a brood box and that is where the bees live and raise the young bees. The other part is known as a honey 'super' and that is where the bees store the honey.


What is rearing of honey bees for honey production called?

Bee-keeping.