Sweat bee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also see Halictidae

iSweat Bees

Halictid bee

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Suborder:	Apocrita
Superfamily:	Apoidea
Tribe:	Halictidae

Sweat bee is the common name for bees that are attracted to pollen and the salt in human perspiration. In its strict application, the name refers to members of the Halictidae, a large family of bees that are common in most of the world except Australia and Southeast Asia, where they are only a minor faunistic element. In the USA, the common species are black, brown, red, or metallic green, and sometimes with yellow markings, and usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch (4-10 mm) in size. Their attraction to sweat makes them a nuisance. Their sting hurts, but the pain only lasts around 10 minutes. Pest control is not recommended due to their beneficial nature in pollination.

As with many common names, however, the term "sweat bee" is applied colloquially to different insects in different continents, despite its technical restriction to halictids. Thus, in Africa and parts of Southeast Asia, the name is more typically used by locals to refer to what are technically known as Stingless Bees, which are typically in the genus Trigona and its relatives (family Apidae), and also have the habit of taking up salt from human perspiration. The western honeybee, Apis mellifera also occasionally laps human perspiration.