Invertebrates
Sweat Bee
Halictidae · also called sweat bees
On a hot afternoon, a tiny, metallic-green sweat bee lands directly on an outstretched arm, drawn not to any flower nearby but to the salt left behind by a long walk, a habit odd enough to have given the entire family its common name.
Overview
The sweat bee, family Halictidae, is an enormous and diverse group of small bees found in forest and grassland habitat across nearly every continent except Antarctica. Its attraction to human perspiration and striking metallic colouration make it one of the more immediately noticeable and behaviourally distinctive small bee families most people encounter.
A bee drawn to something other than flowers
While nectar and pollen remain the sweat bee’s real food source, its willingness to land on bare skin for a taste of salty sweat sets it apart from nearly every other bee family, turning an ordinary hot day into an unexpected close encounter.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and abundant across suitable habitat nearly worldwide.
Sweat Bee: common questions
Why is it called a sweat bee?
A sweat bee is drawn to the salt content in human perspiration, sometimes landing directly on exposed skin to drink sweat, an unusual feeding behaviour distinctive enough among bees generally to give the entire family its common name.
Does a sweat bee sting badly?
A sweat bee is capable of stinging, but the sting is generally quite mild compared with many other stinging insects, and the bee is unlikely to sting at all unless it is directly squeezed or trapped against the skin, such as when brushed away carelessly.
Are all sweat bees solitary?
No, sweat bee species show a wide range of social behaviour, from fully solitary individuals nesting alone to small cooperative groups sharing a nest, making the family a particularly useful group for scientists studying how social behaviour evolved among bees generally.
What makes some sweat bees look so shiny?
Many sweat bee species display a distinctive metallic green, blue, or bronze sheen across their exoskeleton, a striking iridescent quality that makes them among the more visually eye-catching small bees despite their otherwise modest size.