Metallic Green Sweat Bees
There are four metallic green sweat bee genera in Minnesota — Agapostemon, Augochlora, Augochlorella, Augochloropsis — and these genera can be difficult to tell apart. Capturing clear photos of the eye shape, head (many angles), back of the thorax (propodeum), color of the tegulae, shape of the abdomen, and body posture can help narrow down your bee to genus. See the following tips for each genus to learn more:
Agapostemon
Augochlora
Augochlorella
Augochloropsis
Head and Eye Shape, Eye Color
Agapostemon
Augochlora
Augochlorella
Augochloropsis
eyes rounded, shallow indentation, light gray-green
eyes indented
dark gray-black
eyes indented
medium gray-green
female
female
female
female
eyes rounded, shallow indentation, light gray-green
shallow rounded indentation
deep right angle indentation
deep rounded indentation
shallow rounded indentation
female
female
female
female
broad gena and long vertex
narrow gena and short vertex
female
female
female
female
Agapostemon
Augochlora
Augochlorella
Augochloropsis
Thorax, Tegulae, and Wings
Agapostemon
Augochlora
Augochlorella
Augochloropsis
tegula not green
rim on propodeum
tegula not green
wings dark brown
tegula not green
wings light brown
tegula green and hooked or asymmetrical
female
female
female
female
Abdomen
female
female
female
female
Agapostemon
Augochlora
Augochlorella
Augochloropsis
abdomen broad and not rounded
abdomen dark-green,
tergites with sparse hairs
abdomen teardrop-shaped and with long hairs
abdomen broad and rounded
abdomen black with yellow bands
abdomen dark-green,
legs green and black
legs (except basitarsi) green
male
male
male
male
abdomen with long hairs, tarsi light brown
Explore More Halictidae Genera
Explore Other Bee Families
Halictidae
Sweat bees
Citations and Further Reading
Droege, S., et al. (2024). The Very Handy Bee Manual: 2.0. How to Catch and Identify Bees and Manage a Collection.
Gibbs, J., Hanuschuk, E., Miller, R., Dubois, M., Martini, M., Robinson, S., ... & Onuferko, T. M. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Manitoba, Canada. The Canadian Entomologist, 155, e3.
Gibbs, J. (2017). Notes on the nests of Augochloropsis metallica fulgida and Megachile mucida in central Michigan (Hymenoptera: Halictidae, Megachilidae). The Great Lakes Entomologist, 50(1), 4.
Mitchell, T. B. (1960). Bees of the eastern United States. Technical Bulletin No. 141. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.
Portman, Z. M., Gardner, J., Lane, I. G., Gerjets, N., Petersen, J. D., Ascher, J. S., ... & Cariveau, D. P. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota. Zootaxa, 5304(1), 1-95.
Portman, Z. M., Arduser, M., Lane, I. G., & Cariveau, D. P. (2022). A review of the Augochloropsis (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) and keys to the shiny green Halictinae of the midwestern United States. ZooKeys, 1130, 103.
Wilson, J. S., & Messinger Carril, O. J. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press.
Page Photography Credits
Heather Holm
Joel Gardner CC BY-ND-NC 1.0 (Melittidae)
Ron Goetz CC BY-NC 4.0 (Nomia)