Metallic Green Sweat Bee

The genus Agapostemon (literally "stamen loving") is a common group of Western Hemisphere sweat bees, most of which are known as Metallic Green Sweat Bees for their color. They belong to the Halictidae subfamily of bees. They are drawn to human sweat, just like other sweat bees, and eat the salt found in it. Particularly the head and thorax are typically green or blue. Males often have a yellow-striped abdomen on a black or metallic backdrop, whereas females occasionally have an abdomen that is green or blue even if it may be striped. They superficially resemble a number of Augochlorini, a different group that is also frequently metallic green.

All Agapostemon species build their nests underground, occasionally in large clusters. Some species, like A. virescens, live in communities. In this and other communal species, different females construct their own portions of the nest beneath the common entry hole while sharing the same nest entrance. To create the pollen ball on which she will lay an egg, each female thus excavates her own brood chambers and gathers pollen and nectar.