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Metallic sweat bee11/21/2023 ![]() ![]() Where a communal nest gallery shares a single entrance, one bee usually guards the hole, with only her head visible from above ground.įlight season: These are summer to fall beesĭiscover Life - click on map for details, credits and terms of use. Up to two dozen females may share a single nest entrance, but each individual builds and provisions its own cluster of brood cells. Most species are solitary, but some species nest communally. Nests: Agapostemon dig deep vertical burrows in flat or sloping soil, or sometimes in banks. Males can be observed flying slowly around flowers looking for females. Like other members of the family Halictidae, they are short-tongued and thus have difficulty extracting nectar from deep flowers. Some cuckoo wasps also look similar to Agapostemon.įood sources: Agapostemon are generalists. Similar insects: Osmia species can also be metallic green, but are more robust and carry pollen on the underside of the abdomen instead of on the hind legs. Under a microscope, you would look for a shield like indentation on the abdomen to confirm that a large bright green bee is an Agapostemon and the face of the propodeum on the thorax is completely encircled by a clearly raised line. Males fly much more slowly because they are often searching flowers for females. Subject: Metallic Green Sweat Bee Geographic location of the bug: Powhatan, VA Date: Time: 10:40 AM EDT I have lived in this area for many years and never noticed this type of bee. The species is known to nest underground. Its upper body is metallic green while the lower body is striped with either yellow and black or white and black for males and female bees. Female Agapostemon are relatively fast-flying bees. Bug of the Month September 2017: Metallic Green Sweat Bee. The Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens) gets its name from its dual color body. Females carry pollen on scopal hairs located on their hind legs. Most species have a bright metallic green head and thorax, and a black-and-yellow striped abdomen some females are entirely bright green or blue. They are medium sized ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 inches (7 to 14.5 mm) long. Unlike those bees however, Agapostemon, are not attracted to human sweat.ĭescription: Agapostemon are brightly colored metallic green or blue bees. Agapostemon are commonly called “sweat bees” because they are closely related to, and resemble bees in the Halictus and Lasioglossum genera. ![]() They are most diverse and abundant in temperate regions and southwestern U.S. Genus summary: The genus Agapostemon (ag-uh-PAHST-eh-mon) is widespread and abundant throughout North America, with approximately 40 species in total and five species in California.
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