#sweat bee

[image description: three photos of the same small metallic green sweat bee feeding on a cluster of white flowers. In the first image the bee is curled like a C around the top of the flower]

When my roommate first spotted this lil green gem, I got excited by the possibility of it being a cuckoo wasp, though it turned out to be an (equally cute) sweat bee. It leisurely feasting in a flower should have been the giveaway, as cuckoo wasps are more likely to be seen lapping up sap or honeydew. A lot of guides I saw on how to distinguish sweat bees and cuckoo wasps mentioned details of the head (bee's antennae being located more in the middle vs wasp's being further down, bee's eyes being long ovals vs wasp's being egg shaped), but since the face is often snuffling away for sweets, I've found that checking the details of the back/scutum to be easier. For sweat bees, the back is a smooth single piece; cuckoo wasps typically have a lobed segment or two. So if you see an extra line its likely a wasp!

Photo 1: Bee in the tribe Augoclorini

pretty little visitor to the the bee balm today 💕