Warm weather brings about a variety of bugs, including colorful green bees. Here's why you should appreciate the shiny, dazzling sweat bee.
What Is That Green Bee in Your Garden?
Published on Mar. 05, 2025
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Green Bee Identification
If you have a garden or spend time outside during the summer, chances are good that you’ve seen a green bee. You might have wondered what it was. These small, iridescent-colored flying insects are part of a larger family called “sweat bees,” or Halictidae.
Not all of them are green, either. Several sweat bee subspecies boast black or brown coloring, although they can also appear in shades of blue or even purple. Sweat bees are most active between spring and fall.
Almost entirely ground nesters, these green bees (and sweat bees, in general) nest alone, in groups, and in several other configurations. While most think of bees as having a single queen responsible for producing offspring, sweat bees differ. Although they still have a queen, all sweat bees can lay eggs.
Learn facts about honey bees.
Where Can You Find a Green Bee?
Green bees typically aren’t too hard to find. Spotting them can be tricky at first because of their small size (some are only a few millimeters in length), but their bright coloring is impossible to miss.
Sweat bees typically gravitate toward nectar flowers and honeydew from aphid colonies. They especially enjoy plants in the daisy, aster, and mint families. They’re vitally important pollinators, too, pollinating crops like squash, apples, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers. You definitely want to see these beneficial bees in your yard!
To help out sweat bees, consider planting flowers that bloom late in the growing season when other food sources aren’t readily available.
Do Green Bees Sting?
Similar to mason bees, green bees aren’t aggressive and don’t usually sting. However, they can if they’re provoked — so, as with all pollinators, it’s best to treat them with respect.
Here’s how to tell the difference between a bee vs a hoverfly.
Why Are Green Bees Called Sweat Bees?
Calling an insect a “sweat bee” might seem a bit gross, but in the case of these , they’re aptly named. Certain types of sweat bees are, in fact, drawn to the salt in human and animal sweat.
Next, learn fascinating bumblebee facts you should know.
Sources
- Missouri Department of Conservation, “Halictid Bees (Sweat Bees)“
- Florida Wildflower Foundation, “Sweat Bees“
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources, “Green Sweat Bee“
- University of Wisconsin – Madison, “Green Bee“
