Halictidae – Sweat bees

HALICTIDAE-SWEAT BEES

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Some of the most striking looking bees belong in this family, with some members having shiny metallic bodies of green, gold, blue, and copper. They can be found in abundance across the United States, with an increase in numbers in temperate regions. Halictid bees build their nests below ground, with some species (Augochlora pura) building under the bark of decomposing logs. Female Halictid bees also carry pollen on the tibia and femur of their hind legs. 

SWEAT BEE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

SOLITARY

Solitary sweat bees include females that tend their own brood(offspring) and those who still like to live solitary lives but will share an entrance to their nest with another female. In most cases, the entrance is all they share and so they are not considered to be truly social. However, there are a few sweat bee species that show some division of labor in guarding the entrance and rearing the young. 

SOCIAL

The sweat bees considered to be truly social have a division of labor in which the mother and founder of the colony lays eggs while the daughter does all the work. 


WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Read the article HERE to learn more about what Smithsonian scientists are discovering about brain development and its relation to social queens and solitary queens in the sweat bee species Megalopta genalis