Metallic Green Sweat Bee
Sweat bees are small and can range from 1/8” to ½” in size. These bees are not usually aggressive and only sting when they are handled. Many of these bees are attracted to the salt in human perspiration, hence the name “sweat bee.”
Sweat bee is the common name used for a large group of bees. There is estimated to be about 1000 different species of sweat bee in the United States, Central America and Canada alone. These bees are so similar in appearance that it is very hard to tell what type of species they are actually a part of. They vary in color from metallic green, gold to black. These types of bees are very common and can be found all over the world, except Australia where they are very uncommon.
These bees are great pollinators and play a vital role in the ecosystem. They are often seen in large numbers flying about from one flower to the next in a field of wildflowers or some crops. Females sweat bees are able to carry pollen on their back legs, while males cannot. This is due to the fact that females have dense hair on theirs.
Sweat bees are just like a lot of bees and they live in colonies. Each bee has its own specific role that it has to perform. Depending on the type of sweat bee they will either live underground or in wood.
Don’t be afraid of sweat bees. They are not aggressive but they can be quite annoying on a nice hot summer day. Just remind yourself that these bees are just doing their job. If it wasn’t for bees pollinating our food sources our world would be in a lot of trouble.
