Metallic sweat bee11/19/2023 ![]() Consequences of a warming climate for social organization in sweat bees. Landscaping pebbles attract nesting by the native ground-nesting bee Halictus rubicundus. Sweat Bees, Halictid Bees, Halictidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Sweat bee overwintering in rotting wood by Kerry Wixtedīuckley, K. Both species can be seen actively foraging April through October in Maryland. The former species has an iridescent green thorax and a striped black and hairy abdomen. ![]() ![]() Two species found throughout the state include Agapostemon virescens and Augochlorella aurata. While most are dull to metallic black in color, some of the more common and easy to distinguish sweat bees in Maryland are metallic green or blue. Sweat bees are made up of both metallic and non-metallic bees. This ability to adapt along with their generalist feeding strategies may be advantageous for this species’ survival as the climate changes. In Great Britain, researchers found that Halictus rubicundus increased social behavior under predicted climate change scenarios. Interestingly enough, species like Halictus rubicundus can switch between solitary and social behaviors. Social bees, like European honeybees, live in colonies and have a division of labor, while solitary bees nest alone and have to do everything, from foraging to nest building, themselves. The majority of sweat bees are solitary, with a handful exhibiting some semblance of sociality. When swatted, they sometimes will sting, but their venom often only causes mild irritation. As we toil in the garden, sweat bees will visit to imbibe our sweat. Both techniques are no easy feat for small and short-lived insects! Despite their generalist nature, sweat bees are important pollinators for many wildflowers and crops including sunflowers, stone fruits, apples and alfalfa.Īs their common name suggests, sweat bees are attracted to perspiration. While this may seem like an advantage, sweat bees have to navigate different flowers to extract pollen and nectar, while also possessing the ability to metabolize pollen from multiple plant species. Unlike other bee families, like the Andrenids (mining bees), sweat bees are often generalists, visiting whatever flowers pique their interest. Maryland is home to 437 species of bees, just over a quarter of which are members of the family Halictidae: sweat bees. Sweat bee pollinating rare single-headed pussytoes in Maryland by Kerry Wixted
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