Agapostemon texanus

Sweat Bees are actually quite common in North America.
Photo Credit: © Dereila Nature Inn, www.dereilanatureinn.ca
Agapostemon texanus
Common Name: green sweat bee
Animal Guild: Insect
Class > Order > Family: Insecta > Hymenoptera > Halictidae
What does the species look like?

This species has a striking, shiny metallic green head and thorax in the male, and head, thorax, and abdomen in the female. Males have yellow and black-banded abdomens.

Total adult length: 0.12 to 0.40 inches (3 - 10 mm).

Similar species: Other metallic green bees have shorter hind tibiae (a segment in the back leg) that are shorter than the length of the back “foot”. Some so-called cuckoo wasps look like sweat bees, but cuckoo wasps have delicately sculpted cuticles with tiny pits and roll into a ball when disturbed.
Where is the species found?
States & Provinces
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
Distribution

British Columbia and Washington to Maine, south to Mexico and Georgia
General Phenology and Life History

Actively flying April to November.
Which phenophases should I observe?
Do you see/hear...?
Activity Adults
One or more adults are seen or heard moving about or at rest.
More...

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Male adults
One or more adult males are seen moving about or at rest. For Agapostemon texanus, males have black and yellow banded abdomen whereas female have a green abdomen.

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Flower visitation
One or more individuals are seen visiting flowers or flying from flower to flower. If possible, record the name of the plant or describe it in the comments field.

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Reproduction Mating
A male and female are seen coupled in a mating position, usually with the male on top of the female.

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Nest building
One or more adults are seen digging into soil to construct a nest.

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Nest provisioning
One or more adults are seen entering the nest with pollen. For Agapostemon texanus, pollen is carried between hairs on the hind legs and looks like bright yellow, orange or white "fuzz".

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Development Dead adults
One or more dead adults are seen.

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
Method Individuals in a trap
One or more individuals are seen caught in a trap.

For abundance, enter the number of individual animals observed in this phenophase.
What do these phenophases look like?

The following Phenophase Photo Guides for this species have been vetted for accuracy by the USA-NPN National Coordinating Office. Most photo guides are developed for a particular local or regional monitoring effort, and some of the content may not apply to your effort or your region. However, we make them available to provide as much help as they may in illustrating phenophases for this species. If you have high quality phenophase photos that you are willing to share with us, please visit the Phenophase Photo Guidelines page.

Be aware there is variation from individual to individual within a species, especially across different regions, so your plant may not look exactly like the one pictured.

Since they do not always include complete definitions for the species, use these photo guides ONLY in conjunction with the official Nature's Notebook phenophase defintions included in the table above, in the phenophase definition sheet that downloads with the datasheet, or in the Observe screen in the mobile app.