Banded Sweat Bees (Genus Halictus)

Size: Medium (7-14 mm) {Size Comparison – the average honeybee is 13 mm}

Color: Black bees with white hair on thorax; black and white banded stripe on abdomen (one species is dull metallic green).

Type of Flight: Fast and direct flight

Distinguishing Characteristics:
(1) Females have very large heads, which appear wedge-like in profile

(2) Males have more proportional heads, slender bodies, and have bright yellow legs

(3) Banded on abdomen at the beginning of each segment, versus banding at the base of each segment (such as on the Lasioglossum)

Abundance in Georgia: Common (Abundant in the Fall)

Typically Found in Georgia: Late February to November (maybe present in the middle of winter)

Pollination Value: High

Plants Associated with: All flowering plants (Generalist – not specific to any type of plant)

Nesting Habitat: These bees nest in the ground or in rotting wood

Classification: Family: Halictidae Genus: Halictus

Number of Species in Georgia: 5 species
Number of Species in the United States: 10 species

Photos taken by Sam Droege and staff at the USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory (Used with permission)
–> Click on the photo to enlarge the image

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