The “bee lion meme” can refer to two different visual jokes: a hybrid bee-lion image that plays on “be lyin’,” or a rebus showing a hose, a bee and a lion that reads “hoes be lying.” Which explanation fits depends on the image you saw.
What does the bee lion meme mean?
There is no single image or punchline behind every use of the label. One version combines a bee and a lion into a hybrid creature; another places a hose, a bee and a lion together as picture clues. The jokes rely on saying the pictured words aloud, but the resulting phrases differ.
| Version | What appears in the image | How it is read | Documented example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid animal | A bee-lion (sometimes described in discussion as a lion-bee) | “Bee lion” sounds like “be lyin’.” | A discussion in r/memes dated July 9, 2019, includes that reading. |
| Hose rebus | A hose, a bee and a lion | “Hose bee lion” sounds like “hoes be lying.” | Posts in r/PeterExplainsTheJoke dated May 20 and July 21, 2025, discuss this reading. |
How to tell which version you have
Look at the image components. If the bee and lion have been merged into one creature, the likely joke is “be lyin’.” If the picture shows separate objects—a hose, a bee and a lion—say their names in sequence to get “hoes be lying.” The two versions can be confused because both involve a bee and a lion, and commenters have proposed reversed animal names and other phonetic readings.
What is known about the meme’s origin?
The July 9, 2019 r/memes discussion is the oldest relevant example identified here, but it is not proof of when the hybrid image first appeared. A later Imgflip post reuses a bee-lion image and mentions alternate versions without identifying the original creator. The available evidence does not establish who made the hybrid image or when it was first published.
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The hose-and-bee-and-lion rebus appears in discussions from 2025. Tenor lists a related “Hose Bee Meme” GIF with a creation date of October 4, 2025; that listing documents a later GIF, not the origin of the hybrid image or the rebus. These dates are examples of documented posts and listings, not verified first appearances.
Why the joke gets misread
Both versions ask the viewer to translate pictures into spoken words, rather than interpret a conventional caption. The hybrid image invites uncertainty over whether the creature is a bee-lion or lion-bee; the rebus adds a hose whose spoken name is part of the phrase. The comments in individual threads show several interpretations, but they do not establish how audiences generally understand the meme.
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