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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)

-Tribe Halictini​

-Furrow Bees (Genus Halictus)

-Subgenus Seladonia

-Evening Metallic-Furrow Bee (Halictus hesperus)


Halictus hesperus is a species of sweat bee in the family Halictidae. This bee species, like other Halictidae, is attracted to human sweat, which it uses as a source of salt and minerals. This bee has a dark, metallic body, usually brown to black, with light bands of hair on the abdomen. Males are usually smaller and lighter in color than females. They are generalist foragers, collecting nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers. They build their nests underground in sandy or loose soils. They prefer dry, well-drained areas, often creating tunnels and chambers where they raise their brood.



Evening Metallic-Furrow Bee

Halictus hesperus

Range

  • Native to western North America, occurring from the western United States into northern and central Mexico.

  • In Mexico, it has been recorded in a variety of habitats, particularly in the northwestern and central regions. Its occurrence in Guerrero is uncertain and requires confirmation.

  • Most common in warm, open habitats with abundant flowering plants.

Habitat

  • Inhabits grasslands, open woodlands, chaparral, desert margins, meadows, agricultural fields, orchards, gardens, and roadsides.

  • Females nest in well-drained soil, often in sunny, sparsely vegetated areas.

  • Adults forage on a wide variety of native and cultivated flowering plants.

Behaviour

  • Primitively social, although some populations may be solitary depending on climate and local conditions.

  • Females excavate underground nests and provision brood cells with pollen and nectar.

  • Active during the day, visiting numerous flowering plants and serving as effective pollinators.

  • Generally docile and unlikely to sting unless handled or the nest is disturbed.

Size

  • Body length: 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in)

  • Females are typically slightly larger and more robust than males.

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