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sweat bee
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A metallic green sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens) collects pollen on the dark purple center of a bright yellow coneflower. Green sweat bee
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A metallic green sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens) collects pollen on the dark purple center of a bright yellow coneflower.
Sweat bee Bicolored striped sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens) foraging on a coneflower.

sweat bee

insect family
Also known as: Halictidae, halictid bee
Written by
Frannie Comstock
Frannie Comstock is a writer based in Chicago.
Frannie Comstock
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

sweat bee, (family Halictidae), large family of nearly 4,500 species of solitary bees known for their attraction to human perspiration. Sweat bees are widespread and can be found on every continent on Earth except Antarctica. Like most bees, sweat bees do not produce honey, and they do not sting unless provoked. They are considered native pollinators, which means they coevolved with the flowering plants in the areas in which they live and are well adapted...

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