Three Acre Tablea garden, a kitchen, a good excuse to gather
Halictus & Lasioglossum spp.
Plate — illustration to come
BeeNative · New Jersey

Sweat Bees

Halictus & Lasioglossum spp.

Halictidae

The smallest native bees in New Jersey — often under half an inch — and among the most abundant. Named for their attraction to human perspiration (a salt source). Many are brilliant metallic green or bronze. Easy to mistake for flies.

Identify by

How to spot one.

  • Very small (0.2–0.4 inch)

  • Often metallic green, gold, or bronze

  • Some species have banded abdomens

  • Fast, darting flight

Life & behavior

How it lives.

Mostly ground-nesting; some species nest in rotting wood. Some are solitary, some are primitively social (communal or semi-social colonies). Long active season — you'll see them from April through hard frost.

At a glance

The spec sheet.

Type
Bee
Active
April – October
Native to NJ
Yes
Conservation status
abundant
Family
Halictidae
In the group

Notable species.

Species you’re most likely to see, plus any of conservation concern.

  • Pure Green Sweat Bee

    Augochlora pura

    Brilliant metallic green; nests in rotting wood

  • Bicolored Striped Sweat Bees

    Agapostemon spp.

    Metallic green head, yellow-and-black striped abdomen

  • Red-tailed Sweat Bee

    Halictus rubicundus

    Common ground-nester

  • Lasioglossum species (dozens)

    Lasioglossum spp.

    The largest bee genus in the world — small, mostly dark, ubiquitous

Plants it uses

What it needs.

Plants this species visits, feeds on, or depends on. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.

Sources

Xerces Society · NJ Native Bees (Winfree Lab, Rutgers)

More bees

Others in this group.