top of page

Bees of Zihuatanejo

EPIFAMILY ANTHOPHILA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Bees and Apoid Wasps (Superfamily Apoidea)

-Bees (Epifamily Anthophila)

-Sweat Bees (Family Halictidae)

-Sweat and Furrow Bees (Subfamily Halictinae)

-​Augochlorine Sweat Bees (Tribe Augochlorini)


Augochlorine Sweat Bees belong to the tribe Augochlorini, a group of metallic-colored bees in the family Halictidae. Known for their vibrant green, blue, and copper colors. These bees often nest in rotting wood, unlike other sweat bees that prefer underground nests. Augochlorine bees are generalist foragers, collecting nectar and pollen from a wide array of flowering plants.



Augochlorine Sweat Bees

Augochlorini (Tribe)

Range

  • The tribe Augochlorini is distributed from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and throughout South America, reaching Argentina.

  • It is especially diverse in the Neotropics.

  • Numerous genera occur throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, cloud forests, woodland edges, grasslands, secondary forests, orchards, gardens, and agricultural areas.

  • Species nest in soil, decaying wood, hollow stems, or rotting branches, depending on the genus.

  • Commonly found wherever flowering plants are abundant.

Behaviour

  • Includes solitary, communal, and primitively social species, making it one of the most behaviourally diverse tribes of bees.

  • Active during the day, visiting a wide variety of flowering plants while collecting pollen and nectar.

  • Females construct brood cells and provision them with pollen before laying a single egg.

  • Most species are gentle and rarely sting unless handled or their nests are disturbed.

Size

  • Body length: 4–15 mm (0.16–0.6 in), depending on the genus and species.


bottom of page