Bees of Zihuatanejo

SWEAT & FURROW BEES

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

• Ants, Bees, Wasps, & Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

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

• Ants, Bees, & Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

• Bees & Apoid Wasps (Superfamily Apoidea)

• Bees (Epifamily Anthophila)

• ​Sweat Bees (Family Halictidae)

• Sweat & Furrow Bees (Subfamily Halictinae)

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Subfamily Halictinae is the largest and most diverse subfamily within the bee family Halictidae. Members of Halictinae are commonly known as sweat bees because some species are attracted to the salts found in human perspiration. These bees are generally small to medium-sized and may be metallic green, blue, bronze, or black in coloration. They occupy a remarkable variety of habitats, including deserts, grasslands, forests, wetlands, agricultural fields, and urban gardens. Most halictines nest in the ground, although a few species utilize rotting wood or other substrates.